


Kumbaya

by Xenobia



Series: The "Alliance" universe [9]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Camping, Graphic Sex, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-09
Updated: 2012-11-08
Packaged: 2017-11-18 06:32:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/557942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xenobia/pseuds/Xenobia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zack and Cloud plot together to butter Reno up and show him that the wilderness isn't such a bad place, after all.  A mini "Alliance" story.  Takes place after "Alliance".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Kumbaya”

Part one

(An “Alliance” universe ficlet)

~********************************~

* * *

**(Warning: Possible spoilers for all FF7 game/movie titles)**

_*Disclaimer:  Final Fantasy and all related characters belong to Square-Enix.  This fiction piece is strictly a non-profit exercise of creativity and entertainment for people (like me) who can’t get enough of this world and the characters.*_

~***********************************************~

* * *

 

Zack pulled the truck to a stop and nodded.  “Yup, this is the spot,” he declared with satisfaction. 

 

He’d scouted out the camping spot last week, picking a clearing in the forest near the base of the mountains.  It wasn’t very far from home and the terrain was level enough to provide an enjoyable experience for a newbie like Reno.  Ordinarily, he and Cloud would have chosen somewhere a bit rougher and further in but since this was Reno’s first time they agreed to keep it fairly simple.  Instead of driving deeper and hiking the rest of the way for a spot, they decided to pick one that required little travel from the vehicle to the campsite.

 

Reno peered through the windshield at the landscape.  It didn’t look like anything special to him, except up ahead he could see that the trees thinned a bit and the ground was a little flatter.  “Whatever you say, pal,” the Turk sighed.

 

“Come on,” Cloud encouraged.  “Let’s get the gear out and get started.”

 

Reno muttered something but he complied and helped when the two fighters got out of the Truck and pulled the tarp down over the flatbed to get the supplies out.  Cloud hopped onto it and started handing things down to the other two, leaving the heavier gear for himself and Zack to carry since they had enhanced strength.  Reno noticed after a few moments that he was being handed small stuff and Zack was bequeathed with the heavier things.

 

“What am I, a girl?” the redhead snapped, narrowing his eyes at his blonde lover.  “Gimme something that takes a little muscle, Goldilocks.”

 

Cloud and Zack shared a look and the blonde shrugged.  He picked up the cooler that he’d mostly stocked with water supplies and he frowned for a minute, wondering if it might be too much for Reno to handle safely.  Water tended to get heavy in bulk and he’d stocked several two-liter bottles for cooking, drinking and if necessary, sponge baths.  He trusted Zack to find a spot with a natural water supply nearby but he didn’t know if Reno would use it, given his paranoia over nature. 

 

“Well come on, Strife,” Reno urged, his tourmaline eyes impatient.  “Hand it down!”

 

Cloud sighed and hefted the cooler over the side of the truck bed.  Reno lifted his arms to grab hold of the handles and Cloud carefully let go when he was sure he had a good hold.  To his credit, the Turk didn’t stagger and he only grunted a little.  Evidently the Mako he’d fallen into over a year ago had boosted his strength at least a little because Cloud remembered a time when he’d tried to carry a toolbox weighing only a little more and nearly thrown his back out. 

 

“Do you want more?” Cloud asked warily.  He could detect the strain on the Turk’s face as Reno lowered the cooler to the ground and shouldered his duffle bag.  He might be a little stronger than the average guy of his build, but he still had greater limitations than Zack and Cloud.

 

Reno considered the question and looked down at the cooler, reminding himself that he couldn’t match his two lovers in strength anymore than they could match him in dexterity.  Putting himself in the hospital with a back injury would get him out of this camping mess but he hated being immobilized even more than he hated the outdoors.

 

“Nah, I’d better not push it,” Reno admitted with a little smirk up at Cloud. 

 

“Now I _know_ you’re growing up,” the blonde fighter said with a little grin.

 

“Yeah, yeah.”  Reno waved a hand dismissively.  “Don’t think you’re fooling me, Blue-eyes.  I know you and Zack picked an easy spot to reach for my sake.  What I wanna know is how the hell you two would have managed to carry all this shit by yourselves if ya came here alone and traveled deeper?”

 

Zack’s eyebrows shot up with surprise.  “There’s not much fooling you,” he said to the redhead, impressed. 

 

“We wouldn’t have had this much shit,” Cloud informed as he gathered the rest of the gear and climbed down with it.  “For starters, the cooler would have been a lot smaller and we could have carried it between us and had the rest in the backpacks.”

 

“There’s a rainwater filter in that cooler too,” Zack explained as he checked his backpack and picked up the rolled-up tent supplies.  “Normally one bottle each is all we’d carry on us and we’d either catch and filter what we need to replace it or find a natural water source to filter.”

 

“We’ve also brought an oil lamp that uses citronella for bug repelling and some spray, just in case,” Cloud added.  “I’m so damned tainted the bugs won’t touch me anymore and they don’t seem to like Zack much either, but you might still taste good to them.”

 

Reno’s mouth twitched.  He tried to control his amusement and ignore the fond feelings for the two fighters that threatened to engulf him.  They really were going through a hell of a lot of trouble to give him a little luxury they’d never consider for themselves.  He wasn’t too keen on the thought of drinking rainwater but if they had a filter and they said it worked, he guessed he could give it a try.

 

“Here, why don’t you let me carry the other end,” suggested Zack as Reno bent his knees and started lifting the cooler.

 

“I’ve got it,” the redhead insisted stubbornly, holding back a groan of exertion.  “I’ve only gotta carry it a few feet.  Gotta pull my weight too.”

 

“Not if it breaks your back,” the sable-haired fighter said, all traces of humor gone from his voice.  “Come on, you don’t have to prove anything here.”

 

“Nope, I said I’ve got it,” Reno insisted.  “And the longer ya stand here arguing with me over it, the heavier this thing gets and the more I’m gonna be likely to hurt myself.  Let’s get moving, Wolfy.”

 

Zack sighed and adjusted his burden.  As frustrating as Reno’s stubborn nature could be, he had to admire his spirit and determination.  They started off, with Zack in the lead.  He held aside obstacles like low-hanging small branches for Reno since he couldn’t use his hands and he kept a lookout for spider webs or other unpleasant things the redhead could run into that might send him hauling ass back to the truck. 

 

Reno trudged along behind him with Cloud at his side and the Turk shook his head and smirked again.  _~It’s like having doors held open for me, or something.  I’ll bet if there’s a mud puddle up ahead, Zack’ll take his shirt off and cover it so I don’t have to walk in it.  I guess it’s my fault him and Cloud are treating me with kid gloves, here.~_

Again, he tried to be annoyed but Zack’s chivalry was more endearing than anything else.  No wonder the ladies swooned over him left and right.  Reno’s muscles were starting to tire and he silently hoped they’d reach the spot his companions wanted to use soon.  He clamped down on the complaints that wanted to burst from his lips and he carried on, breaking into a sweat.  Thankfully, it was a bit cooler up here in the foothills than it was at the lower altitudes, so with any luck he wouldn’t get overheated before they stopped to set up camp.

 

Zack stopped after a few more paces and looked around.  “This looks good.”  He turned around to regard Cloud.  “What do you think?”

 

Cloud swept the area with his eyes and nodded with satisfaction.  “This works for me.”

 

The patch of ground in the center was almost bare of grass.  He guessed there must be rock underneath the dirt and it would make for a good campfire spot.  The canopy above wasn’t too thick so it would be easier to catch rainwater—if it rained.  The trees were spaced far enough apart to make room for the site and the undergrowth wasn’t too thick.

 

Reno sighed with relief before he could stop himself and he set the cooler down, quickly following up with his duffle bag.  He plopped himself down on top of the cooler and rested his hands on his knees, trying not to make his panting too obvious.  Zack and Cloud looked at him and then at each other with the kind of expression parents make when a kid does something they were warned not to do and ends up suffering the consequences. 

 

“Quit looking so damned smug,” Reno said to them with a scowl.  “I’m just catching my breath.  Uh…is there any ice in this cooler?”  His face was hot and he knew it was flushed with exertion.  He was damned tempted to yank his shirt off so he could cool down faster.

 

Cloud shook his head and Zack grimaced.  “Sorry Red,” the dark-haired man apologized, “Ice would have just melted and made a mess in there…not to mention it would have made it heavier.  There’s plenty of water to drink, though.  Oh, and there’s a couple of other little surprises in there for later, too.”

 

Reno perked up for a moment before he remembered the straw hat he’d left sitting on the dash of the truck.  He gave Zack a suspicious look.  “What _kind_ of surprises?”

 

 Zack exchanged an amused look with Cloud and winked at the Turk.  “Open it up and find out.”

 

“It better not be a spittoon and chewing tobacco,” grumbled Reno as he got off of the cooler and squatted in front of it. 

 

He popped the catches on the lid and opened the container, peering inside as if he was afraid a banjo-wielding hillbilly would jump out at him.  He found six two-liter bottles of water lying on their sides, a bucket filled with what he assumed to be filtering supplies and a cardboard box.  He tossed a confused frown over his shoulder at his lovers and lifted the box out.  It had some weight and the weight shifted a little as he moved it.  He pulled the tabs and opened it and his mouth split into a wide grin.  Cushioned on felt lining were two 750 mil bottles of liquor—one was whiskey and the other was tequila.  He recognized the brands and he appreciated that his companions had splurged to buy quality.

 

“Ya know, this trip might not be so bad after all.”

 

“Just so you use some moderation,” warned Cloud.  “That’s all we brought so make it last over the weekend and don’t get sloppy drunk.  The last thing I want is you stumbling into a hole or down a game trail.”

 

Reno chuckled.  “I’m not the one you’ve gotta worry about, Blondie.  Zack over there’s the one that can’t hold his liquor.”

 

Zack opened his mouth to protest but there was no denying Reno was right about that.  He shrugged.  “That’s fair,” he muttered.  He really did have the tolerance of a twelve year old.  He was slowly building it back up again but since he and Cloud were more social drinkers than regular ones, it was going to be a while before he could handle more than four shots of the hard stuff without falling on his ass.

 

It was tempting to go for the whiskey first but Reno’s common sense won out again and he lifted one of the bottles of water out instead.  He closed the lid and sat down on the cooler again while he unscrewed the cap and lifted the bottle to his lips for a drink.

 

 Cloud watched him and he knew that despite his efforts to hide it, Reno had worn himself out a bit lugging the cooler.  “Hey,” he announced, “why don’t you rest for a minute while I go and get some deadwood for the camp fire?  You and Zack can pitch the tents after you’ve cooled off.”

 

“Good idea,” Zack agreed, also noticing how thirstily Reno was drinking. 

 

Reno shrugged and forced himself to pull the bottle away from his mouth.  “If you say so, Blondie.”

 

“I’ll be back in a little while,” Cloud promised, and he walked away into the thicker forest growth.

 

Reno watched him go as he drank again, admiring the way his loose cargo pants fit him.  “Thirsty?” he inquired of Zack, remembering his manners. 

 

The dark-haired fighter shook his head and declined when he offered the water bottle to him.  Reno shrugged and drank some more.  When he’d sated his thirst, he capped the bottle again and looked Zack up and down.  Zack was wearing similar pants to Cloud’s and he wondered if it was some kind of ingrained SOLDIER trend or personal taste.  The only difference was that Zack’s cargo pants were a forest green in color, while Cloud’s were the customary deep blue.  Zack wore a white muscle shirt with slits in the back for his wings, while Cloud was wearing a light blue one.

 

“So what’s with the pants?” Reno asked, watching as the other man started unraveling the tent supplies.  “Is it just leftover fashion or do ya just like ‘em?”

 

Zack looked over his shoulder at him and smiled.  He reached into one of the many pockets of said cargo pants and produced a small, retractable knife.  “They’re practical,” he answered.  He took a metal stake out of the tent bundle and set it aside while he squatted down and began loosening the dirt with his knife. “You can fit all kinds of shit in these things without it being obvious.”

 

Reno admired the view of the fighter’s ass.  “Hmmm, never thought about that,” he murmured.  He recalled a memory of Cloud producing a knife out of his discarded cargo pants while he, Rufus and Reno were inside of a limousine.  He narrowed his eyes and forced the memory into sharper focus.  Suddenly he understood what Zack meant as the vision came to him full-force and he laughed.

 

“What’s so funny, Red?”  Zack twisted on his feet and looked at him with friendly curiosity.

 

“I just remembered something about cargo pants and angry blondes,” answered the Turk with a grin.  “You sure you don’t want a sip or two?”  He offered the water bottle to Zack again and the dark-haired man declined, as before.

 

“I’m okay, but thanks.”  Zack turned around again and began to wiggle the tent stake into the ground.  “You watching what I’m doing?”

 

Reno smirked.  Zack’s butt was simply mesmerizing.  He had to have the finest ass on Gaia.  “Yeah, I’m watching you, Wolfy.”  He was still sweating and he wiped his brow with his arm and sighed.

 

Zack heard the sound of discomfort and he studied the Turk.  He got an idea and he stood up and crossed the short distance to him.  “Here, hand me that bottle of water,” he ordered.

 

Reno gave it over to him, thinking he was going to take a drink.

 

“Bow your head, foxy.”

 

The redhead gave him a puzzled look but he shrugged and did so.  Reno gasped as he felt Zack brush his ponytail aside and drip some water onto the back of his neck.  “What are you—”

 

“Shhh,” interrupted Zack.  “I’m taking care of you.” 

 

Reno heard a swooshing sound and the next thing he felt was a cool breeze buffeting him all over.  “Mmm,” he sighed in grateful pleasure.  It felt wonderful and he glanced up to see that Zack had manifested his wings and was slowly fanning the air around him with them.

 

“Such a boyscout,” Reno murmured.  “Don’t stop.”

 

Zack chuckled and kept it up.  He watched the flush slowly fade from Reno’s fair face and he knelt before him, still carefully fanning the air around the two of them.  “Feel better?”

 

Reno nodded and lifted his head to look the other man in the eye.  Damn, Zack was pretty.  He wasn’t pretty in the innocent way of Cloud and he wasn’t pretty in the rugged way of Rude.  He was somewhere in between…a combination of boyish good looks and masculine handsomeness. 

 

“So what was that you were saying about angry blondes in cargo pants?” Zack asked him with a flash of a smile.

 

Reno stared at the dark-haired fighter’s mouth, admiring the straight rows of white teeth and the way his lips framed them.  “Uh…oh yeah,” he answered, coming to his senses and shaking his head to clear it.  “When the boss tried to kidnap Cloud to seduce him, it backfired on him.”  He gave Zack a quick re-account of the chauffeur incident.

 

Zack listened to the story and by the time Reno reached the end and described the way Cloud turned the tables on them, he was laughing with admiration.  “I never knew my chocobo could be that creative,” he said between chortles.  He gave Reno a sly look.  “But you know, he never could have done that to you and Rufus without your help.”

 

“Yeah,” agreed the redhead with a smirk.  “Still, if it wasn’t for those pretty blue eyes of his I might not have been stupid enough to help him on the sly.  Blondie’s got a way about him that makes me do stupid things.”

 

“He sure does,” Zack conceded.  “Cloud doesn’t even know how much he influences people with that cute face and those blue eyes.  That clueless nature only makes him harder to resist for me.”

 

Reno smirked.  It was good to know he wasn’t the only one.  “Thanks, man.  I think I’ve cooled off now.”

 

Zack leaned in and pressed a kiss on Reno’s lips.  He’d meant it to be brief but the redhead’s tongue did that tracing thing that made his libido shoot through the roof.  The sable-haired fighter deepened the kiss and rested his hands on Reno’s shoulder.  In turn, Reno’s fingers slid into Zack’s tumbled hair and he moaned softly into his mouth.  Somehow the two of them ended up on the ground next to the cooler, with Zack’s hips settled between the Turk’s thighs.  Reno felt the breeze against his chest and stomach as Zack tugged his t-shirt up.  His nipples tightened and he pressed upwards against the other man’s hand as it stroked his stomach, wanting more.

 

“I can’t leave you two alone for a minute,” said a dry voice nearby.

 

Reno and Zack stopped kissing and looked up in unison to see Cloud standing over them, his arms laden with a pile of dead wood.  “You’re supposed to be pitching the tent,” he lectured, though his mouth was curved into a grin.

 

“Hey, my tent’s pitched just fine, Blondie,” Reno informed him.  He wriggled his body to the side and thrust his hips upwards.  “See?”

 

Cloud’s eyes went to the prominent tent in the crotch of Reno’s jeans.  “Yeah, I see that,” he said flatly.  “We can pitch _those_ kind of tents all you like later on.  It’s going to be getting dark soon and unless you want to sleep out in the open, we need shelter set up.”

 

“I’m on it,” Zack assured him as he got to his feet, his wings flapping a little to balance him.  “Sorry about that…I’m the one that started it.”

 

“If not you, then Reno would have started it,” Cloud smirked with confidence.  “I’m going to get the fire set up.”  He walked to the center of the encampment and set the wood down to begin stacking it for the blaze.

 

Zack helped Reno to his feet and the two of them grinned at each other before resuming the task of pitching the tent.  Reno caught on quick, his mind picking up on the mechanics of what he was doing with ease.

 

“Good,” Zack complimented as they finished.  He wiped his hands on his pants and smiled at the Turk.  “See?  We’ll make a woodsman out of you yet.”

 

“Don’t count on it,” Reno snorted.  “When it comes to putting things together I learn fast but send me to shoot anything and you’ll be disappointed.”

 

“I thought you were a pretty good shot with a gun,” Zack said with a puzzled tilt to his head.  “You’re a lot better at it than I am, anyhow.”

 

“Oh, I can shoot,” agreed the Turk.  “I can shoot people or objects real easy.  It’s animals I can’t shoot—unless one’s coming at me to kill me.”

 

“So you’ve got a soft spot for animals, huh?” Zack’s smile came back full force.  “That’s cute, Reno.”

 

“No, it’s pathetic,” argued the Turk. 

 

“I think if you were put to the test you’d surprise yourself,” Cloud commented as he finished forming the wood into a teepee shaped stack.  “If Zack and I were hurt and you had to hunt to keep us all fed, you’d pull through.”

 

“You’ve got a lot of faith in me, blue eyes.”  Reno gazed at the blonde with touched amusement.  “Blue eyes” was his newest nickname for Cloud and it was fast becoming a favorite.  The eyes that inspired it gazed back at him with open sincerity.

 

“So, do you know what poison ivy and poison oak look like?” asked Cloud, breaking the little spell. 

 

“Think so, why?”

 

Zack and Cloud looked at each other and the blonde reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a palm-sized book.  “You need to be able to recognize it,” he explained as he went to Reno’s side and flipped through the pages.  “I don’t want you accidentally touching it and getting a rash.  We brought toilet paper but we couldn’t bring the toilet with us, you know.”

 

“What, do ya think I’m going to sit my ass down in the stuff when I take a dump?”  Reno’s nose wrinkled at the thought of having to squat in the bushes, but he’d been prepared for that unpleasant little detail about camping.

 

“You could easily brush against it by accident if you don’t know it’s there,” answered Cloud.  He found the page he was looking for and he showed the book to Reno, pointing out the photos of the two plants in question. 

 

Reno looked and nodded.  “Got it.  I’ll watch out for the stuff, yo.”

 

~************************************~

* * *

 

As the sun sank down, Cloud got the fire going and Zack fashioned a spit and roasted a chicken he’d brought with them.  He and Cloud didn’t see a need to hunt for their food right away so they’d brought a few things that would last for the first couple of days, including some granola bars, a wedge of cheese, powdered soup packets, a couple of cans of beans and a few apples.  The chicken was still a little frozen in the center so it took a little longer to cook through all the way.

 

“So what kind of game are we looking at out here?” asked Reno as he took turns rotating the spit. 

 

“The usual,” answered Cloud.  “Deer, squirrel, rabbit.  I don’t think there’s any wild hogs in this area but I wouldn’t want to hunt those anyhow unless I had to.”

 

“Mean little bastards,” agreed Zack.  “There’s also a lake not too far from here where we could fish and refill our water supplies.  We shouldn’t have to do too much hunting while we’re here but we’ve got a range of choices.”

 

“Rabbits?” Reno said.  “Not like the kind on the northern continent, I hope?”  He remembered Cloud taking one down and roasting it.  The damned thing was bigger than a large dog and according to Cloud, aggressive.

 

“No, just the normal kind,” assured Cloud with a little grin.  “You don’t have to worry about giant, meat-eating rabbits here.”

 

“Well, that’s something at least,” Reno sighed.  He reached for the two-pronged fork sitting on the plate on top of the picnic blanket and poked at the chicken, twisting a little to have a look inside.  “I think it’s ready, guys.”

 

“Great,” Zack said with enthusiasm.  “I’m starving!”

 

“You’re always hungry,” Cloud observed with an affectionate look at the other fighter.

 

Zack shrugged and lifted the spit off of the fire.  “What can I say, I like food.  It’s the next best thing to sex.”

 

“Nah,” disagreed Reno as he got the bottle of whiskey out of the cooler.  “ _This_ is the next best thing to sex.  Too bad we don’t have any soda to mix it with but I ain’t complaining.”

 

“Just remember to go easy on it,” warned Cloud.

 

“Yes mother,” Reno answered with annoyance.

 

~*******************************~

* * *

 

After dinner, they took turns having drinks from the whiskey bottle and relaxed around the fire.  Reno was thankful that they’d brought the picnic blankets so he wouldn’t have to lay in the dirt and he admitted to himself that he was kind of enjoying the experience.  He looked up at the darkened sky and blinked.  The moon had risen and it was HUGE.  The Turk sat up and pointed at the expansive glowing ball.

 

“Holy shit, is it _supposed_ to be that big?”  He cringed a little, thinking it might crash into the planet.

 

Cloud and Zack looked up as well and they both chuckled.  “That’s normal,” Cloud said.  “It just looks bigger out here in the open.  It’s not really any closer than it was before.”  He admired the sight of the full moon and Zack likewise stared at it.

 

Reno looked at the two of them and he was again reminded of their resemblance to wolves.  He half expected them to start howling at the oversized moon.  The thought brought a question to his mind that he’d always wondered about on occasion but never dwelled on.

 

“Hey, do you guys ever wonder why wolves and coyotes howl at the moon?”

 

“Nanaki told me they aren’t really howling at the moon…they’re howling to find other wolves,” Cloud answered.  “Coyotes are related to them so I guess they do it for the same reason.”

 

“Hmm, that’s interesting,” Zack said, putting an arm around Cloud.  He motioned Reno closer and grinned invitingly to him.  Unable to resist, the redhead scooted closer to Zack’s other side and the black-haired fighter put his other arm around him.  “I was hoping for something a little more complicated or romantic.”

 

“They’re wolves,” Cloud shrugged.  “I don’t think they’re too worried about romance.”

 

Silently, Reno disagreed with Cloud if only because he and Zack’s mannerisms were so wolfish.  The two of them were plenty romantic, even if they didn’t realize it.  He took another drink and offered the bottle to his companions.  Zack declined because he was already buzzing a little and Cloud took one more drink.  When he passed it back to Reno the Turk decided to cap it for the night. 

 

“So, what is there to do around here before bedtime?” Reno asked.  “I’d usually watch the news or a movie but we can’t do that here.  Got any games, Zack?”

 

“I didn’t think to bring anything like that,” Zack frowned.  “Oops.  Well, we could roast some s’mores or tell ghost stories.”

 

Reno didn’t know what a “s’more” was and he sure as hell wasn’t interested in telling ghost stories.  Cloud rested in Zack’s embrace quietly, waiting to hear what they came up with.  Reno stared at the blonde’s lips, remembering the things his mouth could do to a cock.  Suddenly, he was inspired.  He still hadn’t gotten the chance to go down on Zack and he was dying to learn some of Cloud’s skills.  What better game could there be than that?”

 

“I know something we could do,” Reno said in a seductive purr.  He turned his head and started kissing Zack’s neck, brushing aside the dark hair in his way.  The bigger man shivered in response and rubbed his back.

 

“I think I can guess what it is,” Zack answered huskily. 

 

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Reno chuckled.  He reached across to Cloud’s thigh and ran his hand over it.  “I think it’s time you teach me some of those oral skills you’ve got, Blondie.”

 

Cloud’s eyes widened briefly, the only expression of alarm he allowed himself.  “Uh, you’re already amazing,” he said tactfully.

 

“What’s the matter?” Reno said.  He licked the rim of Zack’s ear and watched with amusement as his eyes unfocused in response.  “Afraid I’ll be too much for ya?”

 

“Yes,” both Cloud and Zack answered at the same time.

 

“Oh, come on,” Reno urged.  He slipped a hand under Zack’s shirt and started exploring his stomach and chest muscles.  “I promise I won’t use it without permission.  Just give me some pointers, man.”

 

“I won’t be able to concentrate to tell you what to do if you’re sucking me off,” argued Cloud nervously.

 

“Then you can play the teacher while I practice on Wolfy here,” insisted the Turk.  He laughed at the worried look on Zack’s face.  “I’m not gonna hurt your pretty cock, Fair.”

 

Zack swallowed.  It wasn’t pain that worried him; it was whether he’d be able to keep control of himself with someone using tantric oral methods on him.  Reno’s hand slid down and covered his groin, which was already hardening.  “Maybe you could try practicing on a banana or cucumber first,” he gasped.

 

“Nuh-uh,” said Reno stubbornly.  He began to rub Zack’s bulging crotch, admiring the size of the stiffening flesh.  “If I’m gonna perfect my blowjobs, I can’t think of a better way to practice than on a big fella like you.”

 

Cloud watched Reno play and his body reacted shamefully.  As was typical when he got turned on, his modesty was beginning to evaporate and the more he watched Reno’s fondling and Zack’s expression of pleasure, the better the idea sounded.  “Okay, let’s do it.  Might want to move it into the tent, though.”

 

“Why?” Reno asked in honest puzzlement.  “Who’s gonna see us out here besides the critters, baby?  They ain’t going to mind.”

 

“Good point,” conceded Cloud.  His lust was rising at an alarming rate, just from watching the way Zack bit his lip and squirmed.

 

“Uh, ‘scuse me guys,” Zack panted, trying to dislodge Reno’s fondling hand, “but don’t _I_ get a say in this?”

 

“No,” they both answered in chorus.

 

“You’re our guinea pig, buddy,” finished Reno with a flirtatious wink at the black-haired man.  “And you’ve got nowhere to run.” 

 

    Maybe it was because it wasn’t _him_ getting jumped this time, but Cloud was feeling very bold and he decided to just run with his urges.  Zack’s lips parted—possibly to blurt another protest—and Cloud took advantage of the moment and kissed him aggressively.  He pushed his tongue into the other fighter’s mouth, muffling his surprised groan.  It only took a moment for Zack to respond hotly to the kiss and Cloud was treated again to Zack’s ability to take a submissive role without hesitation or resistance.  The sable-haired man caressed Cloud’s invading tongue with his own, allowing him to dominate his mouth as if it came naturally to him.

 

Reno studied his two lovers as they kissed and his practiced eye picked up on what was happening.  “Damn Zack…you’re a pretty versatile guy.  You two are gonna make me cream myself before we even get started, if you don’t watch it.”

 

Now that he thought of it, maybe there was something sensible about moving it into the tent.  Reno predicted that the three of them were going to be rolling around all over the place before the night was finished and if they did it out here they were going to get dirt and grass in unpleasant places.  With great reluctance, he stopped massaging Zack’s crotch and ran his fingers through Cloud’s soft, spiky hair. 

 

Cloud broke his kiss and looked at him questioningly.  “Something wrong?”

 

“I just realized you might be right about going inside,” Reno shrugged.  “I don’t know about you but I plan on getting busy and we don’t need grass and dirt in weird places, yo.”

 

Cloud chuckled.  “Yeah, that’s a good point.”  He looked at Zack, who had a faint flush on his sculpted cheekbones and a wary look in his eyes.  “Don’t even think of trying to run.”

 

“Is that an order from the General?” Zack breathed, getting into the spirit of the game despite his reservations about teaching Reno some tantric.

 

“That’s right,” confirmed the blonde.  He gave Zack another deep kiss while Reno got up and made his way to the tent.  Zack was breathing heavily when Cloud released his mouth and the two of them followed their Turk companion. 

 

The interior of the tent was roomier than the outside led one to believe.  Reno spread out the sleeping bags and took his shoes and socks off, placing them in the basket by the entrance.  He lit the small lantern hanging from the ceiling of the tent, so that they’d have some light.  Zack and Cloud came in and took their shoes and socks off, too.  Before the black-haired fighter could even get his bearings, Reno was pushing him down on his back and Cloud had maneuvered behind him to help.  Zack hastily pulled his wings in so that they wouldn’t take up more of the limited space and he ended up with his back resting against Cloud’s chest and his thighs spread, with Reno stretching out between them.  It made him a little nervous to be ambushed this way and he jumped when the Turk unzipped his fly.

 

“Relax, Wolfy,” Reno ordered in a sultry, amused tone.  “We’re not getting ready to neuter ya, we’re just gonna make you feel good.”

 

“It’s easy to say ‘relax’ when you’re not the one being ambushed,” muttered Zack.

 

“I get ambushed by a wolf and a fox on a daily basis,” countered Cloud with a grin. 

 

   “You tell him, Blondie,” Reno applauded as he tugged Zack’s pants open and pulled his undies down to free his erection.  “Mmm, now ain’t that a sight,” he finished with a grin, admiring the stiffened length of the treat he was about to enjoy.

 

“Just take it easy, okay?” Zack warned nervously as the redhead licked his lips.  He hadn’t told either of them how strongly blowjobs affected his lust.  This was going to be the first time he’d had one from either of them.

 

Reno paused with his lips only inches from the tip of Zack’s cock and he looked up at the black-haired man searchingly.  “What’s up, Fair?  I mean, besides the obvious.”  He smirked at the waiting erection and gave it a gentle pull with his hand, making Zack’s groan softly.  “You’re almost acting like a virgin all the sudden.”

 

The blush on Zack’s cheeks further stressed the impression.  It wasn’t unusual for him to flush a little bit in the heat of passion but he wasn’t as quick to do it as Cloud or Reno.  Cloud noticed it too and he nuzzled the larger man’s cheek, feeling the heat of his blush against his lips. 

 

“What’s the matter?” he asked softly, having no intention of going further if Zack really wasn’t into it.  He was a little amazed by the realization that he’d never given Zack head before and the dark-haired fighter’s apparent nervousness confused him.  “You don’t want it?”

 

“Oh, I want it all right,” confirmed Zack with a breathy chuckle.  “I just don’t know if I can handle it.  You two better be aware you might free the beast, sexy thing.”

 

Cloud and Reno looked at each other and both had expressions of intrigue on their faces.  “Do tell,” Reno smirked.  He thought of the way Zack had taken him in the cabin that time on Mount Gaea and his sex throbbed in his pants.  God, that had been an encounter he’d never forget.  If sucking Zack off turned him into a snarling fuck machine, Reno certainly wouldn’t mind.

 

“I think we can risk it,” Cloud murmured, kissing Zack on the ear.  The other man shuddered against him and tilted his head for more.  Cloud obliged, biting down softly on the lobe just over the stud he’d branded him with.  Zack’s low, breathy groan made Cloud squirm with desire and he reached around front to tug his muscle shirt up and expose his chest and stomach.  He then said something that sent him reeling into embarrassment.

 

“You’re so damned fine it should be illegal.”

 

Zack turned his head to look at him with surprised amethyst eyes and Reno blurted an impressed laugh.  Cloud knew his face had flooded with color and he came close to grabbing the buck knife out of his cargo pants and cutting a hole in the back of the tent to escape through. 

 

“Uh…that just kind of slipped out,” he muttered, his golden lashes lowering to conceal his eyes.

 

“That was great,” Zack chuckled, forgetting his own anxiety in the face of Cloud’s adorable bashfulness.  He reached up and cupped the blonde’s chin, forcing him to look at him.  “I love it when you talk dirty, cutie-pie.  It’s like having a rare treat tossed my way once in a while.”

 

“Er…yeah…glad you liked it,” Cloud muttered.  Zack kissed him and this time it wasn’t so passive.  Cloud returned the kiss, his shyness blown away again as his arousal returned with nagging force.  He could tell that Reno had begun when Zack tensed a little and moaned into his mouth.  Forcing himself to focus, the blonde pulled his mouth away from his lover’s and looked down.  He was momentarily stunned by the sight of Zack’s sizeable cock slowly vanishing into Reno’s mouth. 

 

~You say you need tutoring but I’ve never known anyone that could swallow so much without adjusting first.  Damn Reno…you really love getting down to business.~

The Turk’s sea-green eyes flashed up at Cloud as he took Zack’s length all the way down his throat.  There was a question in them and the blonde remembered the purpose of this encounter. 

 

“Oh, uh…let it slide out so you can use your teeth a little,” advised Cloud, his face heating as he said it.  He never thought he’d end up giving someone blowjob advice in the middle of the wilderness.

 

Reno pulled back and let the warm, rigid shaft slide out to the tip with excruciating slowness.  Zack’s breath caught and he smiled around the hardness in his mouth, enjoying the sound.

 

“Now graze the tip with your incisors… _lightly._ ”  Cloud emphasized the last word.  Control was important and if the giver wasn’t careful, it was easy to cause pain instead of pleasure.

 

Reno did as he was told, gently grazing his teeth over the sensitive urethra opening.  The resulting moan that burst from Zack’s lips indicated that he was doing it right.

 

“Don’t forget to squeeze the base,” Cloud warned between kisses as his mouth explored Zack’s jaw.  “You want it to last and make him come without blowing his load.”  He was fast losing his inhibitions as the sight of Reno’s mouth around Zack’s cock and the sounds the latter was making turned him on more.

 

Reno gripped the base and continued to gently brush his teeth over the tip, keeping the suction strong as he did it.  Zack trembled under the assault, his thigh muscles twitching helplessly.  His soft grunts and moans increased in volume until Cloud muffled them with his mouth.  Guessing the blonde was satisfied with his progress, Reno kept doing it until Zack’s pelvis was undulating and he’d broken into a sweat.

 

Cloud paused in his plundering of the dark-haired man’s mouth to give more advice.  “That’s good, Reno.  You might want to ease up a little and just suck and lick for a while.  It’s too much to take if you don’t give him a breather.”

 

Remembering how Cloud had made him howl like a wild thing the last time he did this to him, Reno felt charitable enough to do as advised.  He stopped teasing the slit in the tip of Zack’s cock and sucked the length deep down his throat, swallowing to massage it while his tongue stroked the underside. 

 

“F-fuck,” Zack groaned, humping the Turk’s mouth instinctively.  He knew Reno would pick up on this fast and the redhead was already a firebrand in the bedroom.  He panted heavily against Cloud’s lips and closed his eyes, groaning at the sensation of Reno’s hot, wet mouth sucking him.  He was getting close and he worried that he might not be able to hold back his spunk. 

 

“You don’t want to stop him from coming,” Cloud warned softly.  He brushed Zack’s bangs out of his eyes and marveled at the expression on his face.  “That’s the tricky part.”

 

“Mmm,” Reno hummed.  He brushed his teeth over Zack’s cock again and loosened his hold on the base a little bit.  He was already familiar with staving off ejaculation but he didn’t know if he could make Zack come without expelling his seed.  The thick organ began to twitch and Zack whined his name, making Reno’s stomach do a flip and causing him to moan around his cock. 

 

_~That’s my baby…you like that, don’t you?  Shit, this is hot.~_

“Oh shit,” Zack panted, “oh god…wait…Reno wait…”  He was coming hard as soon as the plea left his mouth and his eyes rolled with the pleasure.  Whether it was because he was already trained for tantric orgasm or because Reno succeeded, he couldn’t guess.  He bucked inside of the redhead’s sucking mouth without spending himself and he trembled and held Cloud tightly. 

 

Reno licked and slurped on the pulsing organ like it was the most delicious treat he’d ever had.  He swallowed the length of it again and squeezed Zack’s thighs, reveling in the way his hips lifted with the orgasm.  When the spasms slowed and stopped, the Turk let Zack’s cock slide out of his mouth to the tip again and he gently sucked the head and swirled his tongue around the cap.

 

“Bravo,” gasped Zack.  A sheen of sweat covered him and Cloud’s hands stroked his heaving chest and stomach.  “Good going, red.  So, you pulled it off.”  He tried to dislodge the Turk’s mouth from his dick but Reno would have none of it.  He swallowed nervously when the redhead growled softly and kept going.

 

“Better let him have his fill,” Cloud murmured huskily, smiling at the worried look on Zack’s flushed face. 

 

Zack rested his head on Cloud’s shoulder and panted.  It wasn’t going to take much to make him come again and he was afraid he’d lose it if it went on for much longer.  It felt too damned good and the desire to throw _both_ of his lovers to the floor and fuck them into the ground was quickly growing out of control.

 

“You two are sooo gonna get it,” Zack groaned.  His sentence was emphasized with a sharp gasp as Reno started using his teeth again.  “Dammit Foxy, quit that!”

 

“Mmm-mm,” Reno hummed, shaking his head back and forth.  He slipped a hand into the opening of Zack’s pants and the fighter bucked as he started tickling his balls.

 

“You little bastard,” Zack growled.  Cloud lowered his mouth to his chest and sucked on his right nipple.  “You too, Cloudy.  Damn…do you two _want_ to get your asses hammered?”

 

“That’s a trick question, right?” Cloud murmured against the nub he was teasing.  “I mean, you’re talking Reno here.”

 

Reno chuckled and the sensation it created made Zack moan. 

 

“You can hammer Reno when he’s done with you,” Cloud invited, and the redhead nodded.  “After you get it out of your system, you can have me.”

 

The only thing more amazing than Reno’s ability to still be a bigmouth even when said mouth was full was Cloud’s dirty talk.  Zack growled and slid his fingers into his blonde lover’s hair, urging his head up so that he could kiss him.  He thrust his tongue past the soft, parted lips and ravished his mouth, sliding one hand down to cup him between the legs.  Cloud moaned into the kiss and pushed himself eagerly into Zack’s fondling hand.

 

Reno paused in his blowjob to issue an order.  “Blondie, why don’t you get me ready while I’m finishing up with Wolfy here?”

 

Cloud and Zack both thought that was an excellent idea and they stopped kissing.  Cloud piled the pillows behind Zack’s back before moving away and crawling up behind Reno.  He searched through the pockets of his cargo pants eagerly until he found the tube of lubricant he was carrying.  The lube was one thing that both he and Zack made sure they had plenty of before the trip, both knowing that sex was an inevitable bonus of the trip. 

 

He leaned over Reno’s stretched-out form and kissed him on the back of the neck, just to the right of the base of his ponytail.  Reno purred, his head slowly bobbing as he continued sucking Zack off.  Cloud reached beneath the Turk’s hips and fumbled with the button of his jeans, popping it open with a little bit of effort.  Reno lifted his ass to give him better access and Cloud dragged the redhead’s fly down.  He pulled his jeans down to the ankles and Reno obligingly got to his knees, giving the blonde full access to his exposed bottom and groin. 

 

Cloud ran his hands over the smooth skin of Reno’s ass, admiring the conflict of the softness and the firm muscles beneath.  He stopped to pop the top off the lubricant and he warmed it between his hands for a few moments before squeezing a portion out.  Zack watched with heavy-lidded, glittering eyes as Cloud smeared some of the gel over the puckered hole before gently inserting a finger.  Reno’s pleased moan caused the black-haired fighter to clench his teeth and grab handfuls of the sleeping bags.

 

“Hurry, chocobo,” Zack urged through clenched teeth as he thrust into Reno’s mouth. 

 

Cloud knew that his sable-haired lover must be in a bad way if he was rushing preparations.  Ordinarily, Zack was pretty methodical when he prepared a lover, aware as he was of his own size.  He hated the thought of causing pain and that was very obvious in the tender care he always gave to his lovers.  Thankfully, Reno was adept at adjusting his body to accommodate for intercourse and he demonstrated that now as he relaxed around Cloud’s probing finger.  He was snug but Cloud knew it wouldn’t take long to get him ready. 

 

Reno tensed a bit when Cloud’s fingers brushed against the gland inside of him.  He moaned around Zack’s cock and pushed back invitingly, loving the feel of the penetration and the little shocks of pleasure when the blonde pressed that spot.  He left off teasing Zack with his teeth and changed tactics to sooth him, stroking the length with his tongue again and sucking back and forth over it.  He kept his lips tightly sealed around the girth even when Cloud’s ministrations made his vision blur.  Too much more fingering and he was sure to blow his load. 

 

When Cloud added the second finger to the mix, it was all Reno could do not to release Zack’s cock and beg the blonde to fuck him.  The visual was fantastic, so Reno eased off and panted, “Cloud, fuck me while I finish this, baby.  Please.”

 

Cloud met Zack’s hot eyes and the black-haired fighter nodded, his facial expression strained but amused. 

 

_~Well, that’s one way to make sure he’s ready for Zack.~_

The temptation was too good to resist and Cloud started undoing his pants with one hand while still fingering the redhead with the other.  He swore softly as he struggled to get the buttons and fly undone but he freed his erection before long.  He made himself wait until the clenching around his fingers eased enough and then he removed the digits and coated his stiff flesh with more lubricant.

 

“Ready for me?” Cloud inquired breathily.

 

Reno nodded, too busy with his blowjob to speak aloud.  Cloud positioned himself and sank in, his eyes going blank and his lids drooping as he sheathed himself slowly in the Turk’s body.  Reno moaned and pressed back, increasing the penetration.  The blonde shuddered when he was encased to the hilt and he took a moment to catch his breath before drawing back and thrusting.

 

 _~Fuck, that feels great,~_ Reno thought as Cloud’s stiff flesh pumped forwards and back inside of him.  He stopped tickling Zack’s balls and cupped them instead, aware that the other man could only take so much before losing control.  He felt Zack tug his ponytail and he felt his balls tightening in his palm.  Reno sucked firmly on the black-haired fighter’s cock and took him down his throat again as the organ started jerking in his mouth.

 

“You two are gonna kill me,” Zack blurted sincerely as he had another dry orgasm.  He gasped and bowed his head, licking his lips as Reno’s throat worked around his cock. 

 

Cloud began humping the redhead with greater enthusiasm but he kept his motions in check, so as not to throw the rhythm off.  Reno happily resumed sucking Zack off when the dark-haired man’s orgasm eased up and he moaned around the rigid flesh as Cloud pumped steadily against him.  The blonde reached down to stroke Reno’s stiff sex and the Turk released Zack’s cock momentarily to shake his head.

 

“Not that, baby,” he panted.  “It’s too much.  Hold onto it if you wanna but don’t play with it right now.”

 

Cloud stopped and contented himself with fondling Reno’s nipples as he took him.  Reno groaned and lowered his mouth over Zack’s erection again.  The firm shoves of Cloud’s dick were hitting him just right inside and he clutched Zack’s thighs desperately.  Cloud seemed to sense that he was getting too close and one of the blonde’s hands dipped down and firmly grasped the base of his cock.  Reno whimpered thankfully.  He’d done it just in time and the redhead’s near-orgasm made him groan.

 

“Reno,” Cloud panted, closing his eyes as the Turk’s ass squeezed him.  He wasn’t going to last.  In fact, he started to come almost as soon as he gasped Reno’s name.  He dropped his forehead to Reno’s sweating back and filled him with his release, pulsing until he was spent.  He murmured a praise to his lover after catching his breath and he carefully pulled out.  He stretched out beside the two of them and watched as Reno finally let Zack’s erection out of his mouth and stayed in position for him.

 

“Ready for ya Wolfy,” panted the Turk.  He smiled wickedly at the bigger man, daring him to do what he’d promised earlier.

 

Zack didn’t waste any time.  Instead of moving around behind Reno, he caught hold of him and dragged him up from his position.  Reno yelped softly in surprise but he didn’t fight the other man as Zack turned him around and positioned him with his ass in the air.  There was no need for further lubricant at this point, so Zack mounted him and growled in his ear as he pressed against his slick entrance and thrust home.

 

“Fucking _hell_ , baby,” Reno cried as the other man’s cock mercilessly slid all the way in.  He was even more thankful that Cloud had taken him first and given his body a chance to adjust.  Zack paused, panting heavily into his ear once he was all the way in.  Reno turned his head and licked his cheek invitingly.  “It’s all good, Zack,” he encouraged.  “I’m okay.”

 

Zack didn’t respond verbally.  Instead, he cupped Reno’s hips and started fucking him sharply.  His husky grunts of pleasure tickled the redhead’s ear and his enthusiastic thrusts made his body shake with pleasure.  Reno started howling without even realizing he was doing it and a hand clamped over his mouth.  He opened his eyes to see Cloud’s lusty face inches from his and he tempered his vocal cords.  The blonde cautiously pulled his hand away and kissed Reno, muffling his exclamations with his mouth.

 

Cloud alternated between kissing Reno and kissing Zack, while at the same time he ran his hands over the black-haired fighter’s flexing ass.  He tugged Zack’s pants further down to ease the awkwardness and he started hardening again as he watched him fuck Reno. 

 

“Shhh,” Cloud warned the Turk as Zack’s pumping dragged further shouts of pleasure and lust from Reno’s mouth.  He kissed him again, loving the sounds he made even as he tried to soften them. 

 

“I’m comin’,” Reno whimpered against Cloud’s lips.  “Aw shit…I’m comin’ _hard_!  Oh fuck, put your hand over my mouth, Blondie!”

 

Cloud quickly did as he asked and Reno screamed with pleasure behind the muffling hand.  Zack groaned heavily and shoved hard and deep into him, letting his body milk him to the final, explosive release.

 

“That was almost _too_ good,” Zack sighed as he finished unloading inside of Reno’s trembling body.  He pulled Reno’s ponytail aside and nuzzled his ear.  “Did I hurt you, Red?”

 

Cloud removed his hands from Reno’s mouth and the Turk smiled with bliss at both of them.  “Hurt me?  When are ya gonna learn, Zack?  I love a good, hard fuck.  It was great.”

 

~*********************************~

* * *

 

While the encounter didn’t exactly work out as planned, all three men were satisfied and sleepy with the afterglow.  They cleaned up and Zack promised both of them something special in the morning as they laid down together and snuggled.

 

“What do you mean, ‘something special’?” Cloud asked, lifting his head off Zack’s shoulder to gaze at him quizzically.

 

“I found something nice when I was scouting this place out,” informed the other man with a grin and a wink.  “You’ll see tomorrow.  It’s a surprise.”

 

Cloud sighed and laid his head back down, absently reaching across Zack’s chest to stroke Reno’s hair.  “You and your surprises.”

 

~*******************************~

* * *

 

-To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

“Kumbaya”

Part two

~***********************************************~

* * *

 

“Psst…Reno.  Rise and shine, Foxy.”

 

The Turk groaned and swatted in the general direction of the voice.

 

“Come on, I want to show you something.  You can go right back to sleep when we’re done if you want, or you can have some coffee.”

 

“You guys brought coffee?” mumbled Reno.  He lifted his head and blinked at Zack, who was squatting beside him in the tent.  Cloud was still asleep on his other side and he’d burrowed into his sleeping bag until the only part of him visible was his fluffy spikes.

 

“Had to,” answered Zack with a grin.  “We both knew we’d never get you out of your sleeping bag in the mornings without it.  It’s instant but it won’t be a problem to boil up some water for you.  I’ve got the fire going and we’ve got a little kettle we can use.”

 

“How long have you been awake, you freak?” snapped the redhead as he noticed it was only just growing light outside.  “Has the sun even come up yet?”

 

“No, it’s coming up now,” Zack replied, un-offended by Reno’s cranky-ness.  “Come on, slip your jacket on and come with me.”

 

“Is it _that_ important?” asked the Turk.  “Is this the ‘surprise’ you were talking about last night?  Bug Cloud first and let me sleep in, man.”

 

“This isn’t the same surprise,” Zack murmured.  He started tugging Reno’s sleeping bag down.  “Come on…just humor me already!”

 

Reno sighed and shook his head.  He knew Zack wasn’t going to leave him alone until he went along with it.  He had the tenacity of a puppy with a chew toy and Reno didn’t fool himself into thinking he’d give up.

 

“Fine,” grumbled the Turk as he wriggled out of his sleeping bag and searched the floor of the tent for his jacket.  Zack held it up for him and he snatched it rudely from his grasp.  “You’re a real tyrant sometimes, Fair.  I guess it’s a good thing we don’t have any ice cubes here.”

 

Zack snickered softly.  “I’d have found some other way to get you moving.”

 

“You’re not gonna try to take me hiking or something, are you?” Reno asked as he put the jacket on and flipped his ponytail over the collar.  “’Cause I gotta tell ya, waking me up at the crack of dawn to go running up and down the mountain ain’t the way to get me liking nature.”  He reached for his shoes and socks next and he jammed them on his feet, cursing when he had trouble with the laces.

 

“No, nothing like that,” Zack assured him.  “You won’t have to do anything but relax.”  He crawled to the entrance and unzipped it, slipping out and offering a hand to Reno as the redhead stumbled after him. 

 

Cloud murmured in his sleep as Reno accidentally nudged him in passing and the Turk patted his rump reflexively, soothing him back to sleep.  He realized what he’d done and he shook his head and smirked at his own expense.  Cloud really had gotten under his skin and now Zack was doing it too.  He took Zack’s hand and let him help him to his feet as he climbed out of the tent.  He was glad that Zack had told him to put on his jacket.  Though it was the middle of summer now, the morning air was crisp up here. 

 

He noticed that Zack was wearing a flannel shirt over his crew shirt.  Reno opened his mouth to say something sarcastic about hillbillies and flannel but he couldn’t bring himself to find the image stereotypical or funny.  Zack looked good in whatever he wore and flannel was obviously comfortable.  He grumbled again, annoyed at Zack for being so irresistible at such an ungodly hour. 

 

“So what do you want to show me?” Reno asked.

 

Zack’s wings extended from his back and arched gracefully behind him.  He held a hand out and smiled at the Turk.  “Come here.”

 

Reno blinked.  Even muzzy-headed with sleep he could appreciate the sight of a winged hunk smiling at him in the cold light of dawn.  “Uh, okay,” he said stupidly.  He walked to the other man and he blurted a surprised oath as Zack picked him up bride style.  “We’re not gonna elope, are we?” Reno asked facetiously.

 

Zack chuckled.  “Just put your arms around my neck and hold on.”

 

With a shrug, Reno did as he asked and his stomach lurched as Zack bunched his thigh muscles and took off with him.  They flew straight up over the campsite until they cleared the treetops.  Reno shivered a little and held on more tightly, feeling a moment of uncommon vertigo as he adjusted to the sudden lift-off. 

 

“I’ve got you,” Zack murmured against his ear.  “You know I wouldn’t drop you, Red.”

 

Reno looked at him and he admired the way the rising sun bathed his features.  “Okay, so you’ve brought me up here.  What’s this about, yo?”

 

“Have a look yourself,” Zack answered, nodding at something over Reno’s shoulder. 

 

Reno turned his head and his mouth parted in wonder.  From their hovering vantage point over the canopy, he could see the whole mountain range and the valley below.  He saw a stream winding into the hills, he saw the sun cresting the mountain range, birds taking their morning flights and the pink, orange and yellow light reflecting on the fluffy clouds. 

 

“Okay,” breathed Reno, “I’ll admit it; you’ve wowed me.”

 

“Nice, isn’t it?” Zack said.  His lips nuzzled Reno’s ear and the Turk closed his eyes.

 

“Hopeless fucking romantic,” Reno muttered.  His body was responding with typical eagerness and the aches and pains he’d felt upon waking were forgotten.  Sleeping in a tent wasn’t half-bad when you had a couple of babes like Strife and Fair cushioning you and waking up to this made it even less troublesome.

 

Reno opened his eyes and looked at Zack’s handsome face again.  He was struck with a sudden realization.  _~Yup, I’ve fallen for him just as hard as I fell for Cloud.  Damn it.~_

“Ready to go back down?” Zack questioned.  “We can make some coffee for you or you can go back to sleep, just like I promised.”

 

Ordinarily Reno would have opted for sleep, but the view he’d just witnessed and the revelation that occurred to him with it shook him awake.  “I could go for some coffee,” he said.

 

Zack kissed him lightly and descended with him.  Cloud was climbing out of the tent and rubbing his eyes when they landed, giving Reno another sight to admire.  How Strife managed to look so damned cute when he woke up was a mystery.  His disheveled golden hair was sticking out in a disorderly fashion and he stumbled like a sleepy kid toward the fire.

 

“Don’t fall into it, Blondie,” Reno warned as he and Zack touched down.

 

Cloud gave him a sleepy smile.  “I’m not _that_ out of it,” he protested.  He covered his mouth on a yawn and pulled his camouflage jacket a little tighter around him.  “So what were you guys doing, watching the sunrise?”

 

“Yeah, he dragged me out of the tent to show me,” Reno answered.  He was put back on his feet and he glanced at Zack sidelong, giving him a crooked smile.  “I guess I can admit it was kind of worth it.”

 

Zack chuckled.  “I was hoping for something a little more enthusiastic, but I’ll take what I can get.”  He looked Cloud up and down.  “What about you, cutie-pie?  Wanna have a look at the sunrise?”

 

“Sure,” Cloud nodded.  “Just let me—”  He covered another yawn before continuing, “Get Reno’s coffee ready.”

 

“I can get it,” Reno said, feeling a little bad for being so surly when his lovers were so considerate.  “Just tell me where the stuff is.”

 

Cloud ducked into the tent and dragged his backpack out.  He dug through it until he found a tin and he opened it to reveal a stack of single-serve instant coffee dunkers and a mug.  “Here you go,” he said.  “I notice Zack’s already got the kettle boiling for you.  There’s sugar packets in here too but we didn’t have any creamer.”

 

“This is fine,” Reno assured him as he took the tin from him.  “Damn, you two really thought of just about everything, didn’t you?”

 

Cloud shrugged.  “I just know how you get when you haven’t had coffee.  Did you bring toothpaste?”

 

Reno cursed and shook his head.  “Nope.  I brought my toothbrush but I didn’t think of the paste.”

 

“You can find some in my backpack, in the front zipper pocket.”  Cloud smiled at him again and walked over to Zack to have his turn in the air.  “We’ll have some breakfast when Zack and I come back down.”

 

~*********************************~

* * *

 

Reno’s experience ranged from good to terrible as the day wore on.  Relieving his bladder wasn’t bad but when it came time for the dirty business, he was thoroughly wishing for a toilet.  Around noontime, Zack announced that he was going to show them both his other surprise after they finished having lunch.

 

“We’ll have to take a little hike but it’ll be worth it,” he said.  “Cloud, you’ve got that shampoo and conditioner we bought, right?”

 

“Yeah,” he confirmed with a nod, giving Zack a thoughtful look.  He guessed the other fighter was going to take them to a natural water source to get cleaned up—which would make Reno happy.  The Turk might not be so thrilled about the experience of bathing in a cold mountain stream, though.

 

“Trust me, you’re gonna love this,” Zack assured them both.  “Just bring a change of clothes and a towel.”

 

“We going skinny dipping?” Reno guessed with a grin.  His face fell as he remembered where they were.  “Yo, I’m not keen on freezing my balls off, Zack.”

 

“It’ll be fine,” he assured him.  “Just trust me.”

 

~********************************~

* * *

 

After having a lunch, they gathered their things and started off.  Apples, soup and cheese was fine but Cloud and Zack made plans to do some hunting soon, so that they’d have some meat for their meals. 

 

“Sorry about the lack of protein with lunch,” Zack apologized to Reno as he guided them through the forest.  “Cloudy and I are going to have to do a little hunting or fishing.  Maybe we can do that in the morning.  Think you can hold out ‘till then, Reno?”

 

“I’ll manage,” the redhead answered.  Truthfully, he could kill for a pizza but since his lovers were doing all the work bringing food to the table, he resisted the urge to complain.  He only had a couple more days of this before he could get back to civilization and chow down on pizza, sushi or anything else he wanted. 

 

“Hold up a sec,” Zack announced, calling them to a halt.  “I’ve got to get my bearings.”  He spread his wings and took off to get a bird’s eye view.  Shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand, he peered around and spotted their destination, only a few moments walking distance from where they were now.  He grinned and descended back to the earth.  “Okay, we’re on the right track.  This way, guys.”

 

He led them into a clearing and both Cloud and Reno stopped and looked at the scene with surprise.  “You found a hot spring?” asked the blonde as he examined the pool nestled in a rock formation.

 

“Sure did,” Zack said proudly.  “How do you like that?  We can have a hot bath after all.”

 

Reno looked at the steam rising from the rocky pool.  It wasn’t a large body of water and it didn’t appear to be very steep.  He surmised it to be about the size of a standard swimming pool.  It looked inviting but there was one problem.

 

“It smells a little funny,” Reno observed, wrinkling his nose.  “Like eggs or…farts.”

 

“That can’t be helped,” Zack shrugged.  “That’s just a natural gas caused by the sulfur.  It’s harmless.”

 

  Reno sighed.  _~Great.  He found us a nice warm bath that smells like ass.  I guess it’s either this, a cold stream or going without a bath at all until I get home.~_

“You’ll get used to it after a little while,” Cloud assured him as he took his backpack off and started going through it.  Zack likewise removed his backpack and started doing the same. 

 

Reno again found himself unable to complain further and he felt guilty for remarking about the smell.  Zack had to have gone through a lot of trouble scouting this place out to find the best camping spot for Reno’s first trip.  It was obvious to him that both of his lovers wanted something more out of this than just a camping trip and he began to ponder what that might be.  Did it really matter what Reno thought of the great outdoors?  It wasn’t as if he wasn’t going to visit them every chance he got, even if he wasn’t thrilled about their location.

 

_~What are they up to?  What’s with all this…courtship they’ve got going on?~_

Now that he thought of it, a “courtship” was exactly what this felt like.  He got the distinct impression that they were both romancing him or trying to seduce him…which was stupid considering they already _had_ him.  So why were they working so hard to impress him?  He turned these questions over in his mind as he dropped his bag and fished through it for the single towel he’d brought and his change of clothes.  He felt his lover’s eyes on him as he readied his things and it was a bit unsettling.

 

“All right, that’s it,” Reno huffed as he finished laying his clothes out on one of the big, flat rocks.  “You two are up to something.  This whole trip has been like someone trying to get down someone else’s pants but since we’ve already gone there, I know that ain’t what it’s about.”

 

Zack and Cloud gave one another one of those _looks_ that they’d been shooting back and forth throughout the trip.  They were silently communicating with each other and it pissed Reno off even more.

 

“See?  Ya just did it again!”

 

“Did _what_ again?” Cloud asked, his golden brows furrowing over puzzled blue eyes.

 

“Looked at each other!” fumed the Turk.

 

Zack blinked and then burst into laughter.  “What’s wrong with that?”

 

“You’ve got some inside thing going on here,” Reno insisted.  “This whole thing has just been…like…staged.  Moving branches outta my way, romancing me by the fire with the whiskey and the chicken, flying me up to watch the sunrise and now a man scramble in a hot spring!  You guys are going out of your way to make this like some kind of super fun fantasy trip.”

 

“You’re paranoid,” Cloud muttered, averting his eyes.

 

Reno narrowed his eyes at him.  “Yeah?  Then why won’t ya look me in the eye, Blondie?  You and Zack both suck at lying.  Ya know I’ll bet if I asked you to make me a pizza, you’d find a way to do it.”

 

“We probably could,” Zack murmured thoughtfully.

 

“I’m serious, Fair.”  Reno crossed his arms over his chest and gave them both a severe look.  “I’ve been seduced before.  Hell, I’ve been the one seducing plenty of times.  I don’t know what your motive is but there’s something you guys aren’t telling me.”

 

The two of them exchanged another look and Zack crossed the distance to stand before Reno.  “Look, we’ve already told you that we want this to be a fun trip for you.  If it seems like we’re trying too hard it’s just because we want you to see a little something of what we see in the outdoors, you know?  We want you to be comfortable when you come to visit us and we figure if we show you a few nice things about nature, you might come around more often.”

 

It was on the tip of his tongue to just blurt out that they wanted him to move in with them, but he and Cloud had agreed they wouldn’t approach that subject until after the house had a functioning bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.  Reno was volatile about country living at best and it would be a stupid move to ask him to come live with them in a barn.  He gazed at the redhead with friendly persuasion, knowing by now that he had a weakness for certain expressions.

 

Reno stared at Zack, then at Cloud.  There it was again; that look they both got on their faces when they wanted something from him.  “So that’s really all there is to it?” he demanded, steeling himself against the puppy eyes.

 

“That’s all there is,” Cloud said.  Because it was the basic truth, he was able to say it with a straight face.  For now, that really _was_ all there was to it.  They wanted to show him nature wasn’t so horrible before moving onto the next stage.  “Why do you think everything has to have a sinister motive behind it, Reno?”

 

“’Cause I’m a Turk,” answered Reno with a shrug.  He sighed.  “Okay look, I’m sorry.  You guys are trying so hard and all I can do is complain and come up with conspiracy theories.  If ya say you just want me to have a good time, I’ll believe you.  Uh, thanks.”

 

They both smiled at him and nothing more was said about it…until they got into the hotspring and started bathing with the bio-friendly products that the two fighters had brought with them.

 

“Hey Reno.”

 

The Turk scrubbed the suds out of his eyes and peered at Zack, who was treading water a few feet away with his newly washed hair slicked back.  “Yeah?”

 

A puzzled look flitted over Zack’s face.  “Do you really think chicken and whiskey are romantic?  I mean, give me a little credit, man.”

 

Cloud snorted with amusement and ducked under the water to rinse his hair out.  Reno grimaced and tried to think of a way to explain his reasoning.  “You’ve gotta look at it in context,” he supplied, “Sure, ordinarily it’s not a combo I’d pick for setting the mood but we’re out in the middle of nowhere.  Roast chicken and good whiskey are practically a freakin’ delicacy.”

 

Cloud emerged from under the water and he heard the last part of Reno’s answer.  “Doesn’t take much with you, does it?” he remarked to Reno with a grin before shaking his hair out.

 

“It wasn’t just the stuff,” stammered the redhead.  “It’s how you two were acting.  You know, with the cuddling and talking.”

 

“Maybe you just like us more than you want to admit,” Zack chuckled.  “I don’t think we were doing anything we don’t normally do.  You know I’m a cuddler.”

 

Reno shrugged and arched his back, dropping his hair into the water to rinse it out.  “Yeah, you’re big on the snuggling.  You can’t tell me that stunt ya pulled this morning wasn’t supposed to be romantic, though.”

 

“You got me there,” agreed Zack, his eyes caressing the Turk’s lean form.  The way Reno was arching backwards was just plain sexy.  Cloud evidently thought so too because he waded over to Reno and started helping him rinse his hair.  The blonde leaned over the Turk and started kissing him as he worked, surprising him.

 

“See, things like that,” Reno murmured when Cloud broke the kiss to nuzzle his jaw.  “You’re usually too shy to do things like that without some provocation, Strife.”

 

Cloud smirked and straightened up, gazing down at him as he massaged his scalp.  “Maybe the wilderness just loosens me up a little,” he suggested.

 

That actually made an odd kind of sense to Reno.  Wild natured as he was, it seemed fitting that Cloud would be more comfortable and adventurous in a natural setting.  Reno gasped as the blonde leisurely stroked his fingertips over one nipple, making it harden instantly. 

 

“So being out here under the trees really does it for ya, huh?” Reno breathed.  He straightened up and didn’t resist as Cloud’s arms went around him.

 

“I guess so,” answered the blonde.  He kissed him and Reno felt his erection press against his leg.  His body responded shamelessly and he returned the kiss and the embrace.  He half expected Zack to come and join them but the other man was evidently content to watch.  His eyes were smoky and admiring on the two of them as they kissed and fondled one another.

 

Reno remembered something important as Cloud’s touches and kisses filled him with lust.  He groaned and broke the kiss, swearing softly with frustration.  “Nobody brought lube, did they?”

 

“I don’t think it would work in a hot spring anyhow,” Zack guessed with a sigh. 

 

“I guess it can wait,” Reno grumbled.

 

Cloud didn’t mind.  Everything didn’t have to end in intercourse to satisfy him and he was content to just kiss and touch the redhead.  Unfortunately, Reno was too easily excited, so he had to keep it toned down or he knew the Turk would be looking for alternative lube sources.

 

~*********************************~

* * *

 

 “Hey Reno, why don’t you let me show you how to make a snare?”

 

Reno paused in the act of toweling his hair dry and he stared at Zack.  “You’re kidding, right?”  He draped the towel around his neck and searched through his bag, producing a hand mirror, a comb and some hair gel.

 

“No, I’m serious,” replied the other man with a curious look at Reno’s accoutrements.  “You really brought hair gel out here?”

 

“Yeah, I really brought hair gel.”  Reno smirked at him and reached into the bag again, this time producing a miniature hair dryer.  At the sight of the object, Cloud spoke up.

 

“Uh, where do you think you’re going to plug that in?” asked the blonde.

 

Reno clicked the button and the hair dryer started up.  He grinned at his companions and displayed his tongue teasingly.  “Battery powered, man.”  He propped the mirror between his knees and began the task of styling his hair.

 

“I should have known,” said Cloud with a shake of his head and a smile.  Even in the wilderness, Reno wasn’t going to go without his customary hairdo. 

 

“So how about it, want to learn how to set snares?” Zack persisted.  “You don’t have to shoot anything and it might come in handy some day.”

 

Reno looked at him through the damp bangs he was blowing dry.  “You really want me to learn this, don’t ya?”

 

“I just thought it might help pass the time and we could catch some dinner while we’re at it,” explained Zack.

 

Reno sighed.  “All right, I’ll humor you again.  Don’t expect a big result, yo.”

 

“You might surprise yourself,” countered the other man with a shrug.  “Cloud, are you going to stick with us?”

 

“I think I’ll head back to the camp and get some more wood,” answered the blonde.  “If I see anything worth hunting I’ll try to take it down on the way there.”

 

“You know your way back?” Reno asked, worried that he could get lost.

 

Cloud resisted the urge to roll his eyes.  Reno didn’t seem to think he had a sense of direction worth spit.  “I’ll be fine,” he assured him.  “You don’t have to go shooting a bunch of flares for me.”

 

~*************************************~

* * *

 

Reno finished drying and styling his hair while Zack waited patiently.  When he was finished, the two of them went into the forests surrounding the hotspring and Zack started tutoring him on setting snares.  They got one set up and Reno excused himself to find a bush to water while Zack scoped out a place to lie in wait.  The Turk sighed as he trudged through the undergrowth and picked out a tree.  He didn’t know why he kept letting Zack talk him into doing things he had absolutely no interest in.

 

Reno was just about to unzip his fly and relieve himself when he heard something rustle to his left.  He paused and looked warily, reaching for his bag where he had his EMR strapped to the side.  When he saw the source of the sound he relaxed a little.

 

“Hey there,” Reno said with a cock of his head as he watched the bear cub approach.  The animal stood up on its hind legs and sniffed the air in his direction curiously.  Reno cautiously took a step towards it, then another one.  “You’re not so bad,” he informed his visitor.  “Kind of a cute little fellow.”

 

Zack came into the area, having worried that he might get lost.  When he saw Reno reaching out to pet a wild bear cub, he went as white as a sheet.

 

“Reno, move away from it,” Zack ordered stiffly.

 

Reno looked up at him.  “What’s the problem?  He’s just a baby.”

 

“He’s not the one I’m worried about,” informed Zack with a wide-eyed look at something behind Reno.

 

The Turk saw the dread on his lover’s face and he slowly straightened up and turned.  He looked up and his eyes went huge when he faced a much larger bear.  The animal reared up as its smaller companion had done, but she didn’t simply sniff at Reno curiously.  Her muzzle opened wide to emit a challenging roar and Reno came close to emptying his bladder in his pants.

 

“Oooh, fuuuck,” groaned the Turk, backing up a couple of paces.

 

  Zack took immediate action—there was no other choice.  He snapped his wings out and ran toward his imperiled lover and the wild bear, hollering and waving his arms as he lifted off the ground.  The flapping wings and noise he produced distracted the mother bear from her intended target and she swatted at Zack as he flew overhead.

 

“Reno, RUN!” Zack shouted as he hovered over the bear and kept yelling at her.

 

Reno looked around in confusion.  “Run _where_ , Wolfy?”

 

“The camp’s that way,” called the other man, pointing to the West.  “Just run and keep going while I lead her away!”

 

Zack narrowly avoided getting his leg slashed when the bear reached up and swatted again.  He increased his altitude and kept waving his arms at her.  “I’ll be fine, she can’t get me!” He shouted to Reno, who was looking indecisively at him.  The redhead finally did as he was advised and he hefted his bag over his shoulder and ran as fast as his long legs could carry him. 

 

“Over here, lady!  Don’t go for a fox when you’ve got something meatier!”  Zack swooped in front of the bear when she started to go after Reno, effectively getting her attention again.

 

~****************************************~

* * *

 

Cloud had just returned to the camp with a couple of rabbits he’d caught and he was about to start skinning them for dinner when he heard Reno’s voice yelling a stream of curses at the top of his lungs.  He turned in time to see the Turk racing into camp so fast his feet hardly touched the ground.  His blue-green eyes were wide and staring and his face was as white as a sheet.  He didn’t seem to see Cloud at all as he came tearing into the camp, though he was heading straight for him.

 

It happened so fast that Cloud didn’t even have time to move aside.  Reno was moving so fast the blonde only had time to call his name before he was bowled over by him, knocked flat on his back with an explosion of breath.  Reno tried to get up and keep going and Cloud held him tightly and called his name again.  The Turk was looking back over his shoulder in the direction he’d come from.

 

“Reno, stop it!” Cloud hollered, cupping the pale face and forcing him to meet his eyes.

 

Reno’s senses returned and he gasped; “bear…big bear…Zack’s leading it off…told me to run…”

 

Cloud guessed what must have happened and his concern for Reno was overshadowed by greater concern for Zack.  “Is he still back there alone?”

 

Reno nodded, the shock of the experience wearing off enough for him to regain his senses.  “He was staying…out of range,” he explained breathlessly, even as he dropped his bag on the ground and unstrapped his EMR from it.  “Let’s go, man.  Can’t believe I ran like that.”

 

Given that Reno had probably never seen a wild grizzly up close before, Cloud could believe it.  Thinking nothing of Reno’s understandable panic, the blonde dropped his backpack and detached his scabbard from it.  Together, they hurried in the direction Reno had come from.  Reno started to shout Zack’s name but Cloud put a hand over his mouth and shook his head.

 

“If he’s trying to lure the bear away you don’t want to grab its attention again,” Cloud explained.  “Let’s try to find him first before we start hollering.  Do you think you can remember the way back to where you ran from?”

 

“I pretty much just ran straight in the direction Zack told me to in order to get back here,” Reno said with certainty.

 

“Okay, let’s go—”

 

“Hey guys,” Zack’s voice interrupted as Cloud took a step forward.  The dark-haired man swooped down from the trees, coming from the same direction Reno had.  He hovered in place and examined his Turk lover closely.  “Reno, you okay?”

 

“I’m fine,” answered the Turk as he scanned Zack’s form anxiously.  “You?”

 

Zack looked down at himself ruefully and his companions realized that he was missing one shoe.  “Mamma bear hooked my shoe as I was passing and I had to let her have it.  Otherwise I’m fine.  I’ve got some boots in the truck I can put on.”

 

“How far away did you lead her?” Cloud asked with a frown.

 

“Not too far,” answered the other fighter.  “She lost interest after she started realizing she wasn’t going to catch me and I wasn’t a threat to her cub.”

 

“I don’t know if we should stay here,” Cloud worried, looking off into the distance.  “She might come sniffing around here now that she knows there’s people.”

 

“I’m sure as hell not staying if that bear could come looking for us,” Reno announced.

 

“So what are you saying, you want to cut the camping trip short?” Zack asked as he landed in front of them.  He stood awkwardly on one foot.  “I really think it’ll be okay.  We just happened to cross paths with her and her baby, is all.”

 

Cloud considered the problem.  Barring outright man-eaters, bears generally left people alone unless they thought they were a threat.  “If we’re _really_ careful not to leave out any food, odds are we won’t see the bear again.  We’ve got to remember to bag our leftovers and put them away in the garbage container in the back of the truck.”

 

“You’re thinking of staying?” Reno asked incredulously.  He realized how skittish he was acting and he forced himself to calm down.  He’d lived through a lot worse than a bear roaring in his face and scaring the piss out of him.  He’d fought things that would give the average person nightmares.  One freak encounter with a wild animal shouldn’t send him running scared.  “Er, I mean if that’s what you guys want…”

 

Cloud smirked sidelong at him.  “Think you can handle it?”

 

Reno took the bait.  “Hell yeah, I can handle it!”

 

Zack chuckled and flew off to his truck to retrieve his boots. 

 

~*****************************************~

* * *

 

After they ate dinner that evening, Reno got his first taste of s’mores.  Zack and Cloud showed him how to roast the marshmallow and smush it between the chocolate graham crackers they’d brought.  He found the treat to his liking and he had three more before breaking out the tequila and passing it around.

 

This time Cloud indulged himself a little more and he had a pleasant buzz in a half an hour.  It became obvious to his companions that he was tipsy when he suddenly giggled at Reno for no obvious reason.

 

“Whatcha’ laughing at, Blondie?” asked the Turk with an amused grin. 

 

“You,” answered Cloud, passing the bottle back to him.  “I’ve never seen anyone run that fast before…except when they’ve got a haste spell on them.”

 

“Yeah, he really booked it,” Zack agreed with a smile at Reno. 

 

“Hey, you _told_ me to run, bird boy,” reminded the Turk with a scowl.  “And I dare anyone _not_ to haul ass after something like that.”

 

“Yeah but you almost broke the sound barrier,” Zack chuckled.

 

“All I could see were these huge eyes and a white face,” snickered Cloud.  “I mean, your feet weren’t even touching the ground!”  He fell onto his side on the picnic blanket and covered his mouth, snorting helplessly as he tried to contain his laughter.

 

“I’m glad my terror was so damned funny to ya,” Reno grumbled, but he was having a hard time holding back his own grin.  It was so rare to see Cloud laugh so heartily and the sight of him curled up giggling like that was too endearing for the Turk to resent him. 

 

Zack looked at the tequila bottle as Reno handed it over to him.  He looked at Cloud with a crooked grin as a thought occurred to him.  “I think we’ve just found Cloud’s weakest link.”

 

“What, the tequila?” Reno asked. 

 

Cloud sat up and appeared to regain control of himself.  He wiped his eyes and cleared his throat.  “Ahem.  Sorry,” he muttered.  He took one look at Reno and burst into laughter again.

 

“Yup, the tequila,” Zack confirmed. 

 

Reno watched their blonde lover struggle to overcome his mirth and he was forced to agree with Zack.  He knew Rufus tended to get a little goofy when he drank too much rum and Cloud usually stuck with whiskey or beer.  “I guess you’re right,” he conceded.  “He’s acting like he’s tripping or something.”

 

Zack took a swig from the bottle and shivered.  “Good stuff,” he said after swallowing.  He debated whether to pass the bottle to Cloud again.  “Think you can handle a little more, Chocobo?”

 

Cloud seemed to consider the question.  “I’m not used to getting buzzed this fast,” he complained even as he chuckled.  “Maybe just one more drink for me.”

 

Zack gave him the bottle and he took a swallow and turned to give it to Reno.  Cloud pressed his lips together hard and the Turk sighed.

 

“Just get it out of your system, Blondie.”

 

Unable to help it, Cloud choked with laughter and blindly thrust the bottle Reno’s way.  It wasn’t that the redhead looked funny to him right now—he just couldn’t seem to look at him without remembering that expression on his face after the bear encounter.  He’d never seen Reno Flynn look that way before.  The lightheaded feeling from the tequila wasn’t helping, of course.

 

Reno took a drink and by the time he capped the bottle to put it away, he was grinning again.  Cloud was leaning against Zack and trying his best to stop laughing, but he’d given himself the hiccups.  Reno got one of the bottles of water out and gave it to the blonde.

 

“Here, drink it down fast,” advised the Turk.  “It might get rid of the hiccups.”

 

Cloud took the bottle and lifted it to his lips, his eyes on Reno.

 

“No, don’t look at me while ya do it,” protested the Turk just before Cloud burst into laughter again and choked.

 

“Well, at least this time he didn’t spit it everywhere,” Zack chuckled as he slapped Cloud on the back to help him clear his throat.  The last time the blonde had been struck with spontaneous giggles had been in Rufus Shinra’s office, after Zack remarked on the resemblance between the president and the former SOLDIER director. 

 

“Sorry,” Cloud coughed again, his cheeks flooding with color as he drew ragged breaths.  Another hiccup followed the apology and a frustrated expression grew on his face.

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Reno said lightly.  “Happens to everybody sometimes.”

 

Cloud’s coughing fit eased and he drank from the water bottle again, this time making sure not to look at Reno as he did it.  It seemed to do some good and he sighed in relief and capped the bottle.

 

“Thanks,” he said.  His lips twitched as the redhead took the bottle from him but he somehow controlled the urge to laugh again.

 

“So all I’ve gotta do to make you laugh is get chased by bears in the woods,” mused Reno with a grin.  “You’re a tough crowd, Strife.”

 

~************************************~

* * *

 

-To be continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

“Kumbaya”

Part three

~***********************************************~

* * *

 

“Wow, he’s really KO’d,” whispered Reno to Zack.  They’d gotten ready for bed after putting the fire out and Cloud fell asleep almost as soon as he crawled into his sleeping bag.  Now he lay like a lump beside Reno, snoring softly in the darkness.

 

Zack lay on Reno’s other side and he lifted his head and gazed at the outline of the blonde’s body.  “Yup.  I’m pretty sure now; he can’t handle tequila very well.”

 

“Hey,” Reno murmured thoughtfully, “that night we went to the club, you said Cloud mixed his liquor.  Did ya see him drink anything with tequila in it?”

 

Zack thought about it and he nodded.  “Now that you mention it, yeah.  He thought Genesis’s drink looked good so he had a few of those himself.”

 

“How many is a _‘few’_?” questioned the Turk.  It had only taken about four shots from the bottle to afflict Cloud with the giggles and knock him out.

 

“I think he drank about three of them,” Zack recalled.

 

“Hmm.  That might not be enough to put him under but I know Blondie had at least two whiskey drinks too and I remember him having a beer, also.”  Reno felt a stirring of relief inside as he thought of the implications.

 

Zack was slightly buzzed and sleepy, so he wasn’t connecting the dots.  “What difference does it make now?”

 

“The difference is maybe I can stop fantasizing about putting a bullet in some fucker’s brain for trying to slip our boy a mickey and take advantage of him,” answered Reno, his voice tight with anger just thinking about it.  “You were the one that said he might have been so fucked up because he mixed his alcohol.  If he can’t handle tequila and he had three drinks—along with his usual poison—he might not have gotten drugged after all.”

 

Zack perked up a little.  “That makes sense,” he agreed.  His relief matched Reno’s as he replayed that night in his head.  It would have taken impressive timing for someone to slip Cloud something without anyone catching it.  He and Reno had just assumed that it was done while Cloud was in the restroom and they were preoccupied with the pool game.  Now it seemed just as likely that those three Tequila Sunrises mixed with the other things Cloud drank were to blame.

 

“Shit,” Zack muttered as he also recalled how bad off Cloud was the next day.

 

“Whazzat?” asked Reno.

 

“I’d better go get the first aid kit out of the truck and bring the aspirin back here.”  Zack pulled his sleeping bag down and climbed out of it, feeling around carefully as he moved toward the exit so that he wouldn’t accidentally smush either of his companions.

 

“You think he’s going to be feeling that bad?” Reno asked as he sat up. 

 

“I hope not,” answered Zack in a whisper, “but the night after the club he was so bad off he swore someone poisoned him.  I’m bringing the aspirin back just in case.”

 

Reno sighed and reached out to stroke Cloud’s hair.  He wondered if Cloud even knew what tequila did to him.  It didn’t seem likely that the blonde would purposely indulge in it if he had any idea it would kick his ass so hard and make him suffer in the morning.  Reno knew it wasn’t something he drank often so he guessed Cloud just never made the connection.

 

~********************************~

* * *

 

Reno heard another sound and he jerked awake, sitting halfway up in the darkness.  “What was that?” he hissed.

 

“An owl,” groaned Zack, reaching out blindly.  “Lay back down, Red.  You’re jumpier than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.”

 

Reno slowly lay back down and forced his eyes to shut.  Despite his insistence that he could handle seeing the rest of the camping trip through, he kept imagining that bear wandering into their camp and dragging one of them out of the tent in the night.  A twig snapped somewhere and Reno sat bolt upright, reaching under his pillow for his gun.

 

Zack sighed and reached out for the Turk, grabbing him around the waist with one arm and pulling him back down despite his grunting protest.  “Relax,” the fighter murmured.  “You’re just hearing small nocturnal animals wandering around.”

 

“Yeah, well I’ve seen those movies,” whispered the Turk.  “Family’s out camping in the woods, having a swell time and all the sudden a bear comes into the tent and eats someone’s fucking face off.”

 

Zack snickered into his pillow and pulled the smaller man closer to him.  “That’s the movies, this is real life.”  His hand brushed against something cool and metallic as he dragged Reno into his embrace and he paused.  “What’s this…a _gun_?  You’re sleeping with your gun, Foxy?”

 

“You guys have your swords in here with us,” Reno pointed out. “What’s wrong with me having my gun close by?”

 

“Sure, we’ve got them close by,” Zack said patiently, “but we’re not _sleeping_ on them.  A sharp blade doesn’t make for a very safe pillow and neither does a loaded firearm.”

 

“The safety’s on, man,” Reno told him.  “I just feel better with it in my hand…hey, leggo of it, Fair!”

 

Zack pried the weapon out of the Turk’s fingers and put it against the tent wall at his back, close enough to be reached in an emergency but far enough away to avoid the risk of anyone rolling over onto it in their sleep and shooting themselves. 

 

“There’s a better chance of you getting yourself or one of us killed sleeping with that thing than a bear coming in here and eating someone’s face off,” Zack insisted firmly.  “Come here, Red.”

 

Reno allowed himself to be pulled snugly against Zack’s body and he _did_ feel a little better with the other man spooning him.  He sighed and tried to relax, focusing on the feel of Zack’s hard, strong form pressing flush against his back.  A wolf howled in the distance and Reno’s head lifted.

 

Zack shook his head with amused exasperation and stroked the Turk’s naked chest and stomach.  “Easy Reno,” he murmured.  “You’ve got your own pair of ‘wolves’ in here sleeping with you, right?  Don’t worry about the ones out there.”

 

Reno dropped his head back down on Zack’s bent arm and pressed his lips together with determination.  He was acting like a scared kid trying to sleep after hearing a ghost story.  It was embarrassing. 

 

~I’m a Turk.  I shouldn’t be getting so damned spooked over a few noisy animals.  I went to bed hearing gunshots every night as a kid so this should be a piece of cake.~

He was as tense as a bowstring though and Zack could feel it.  The fighter smirked in the darkness as he got an idea.  He knew one way to get Reno relaxed and he didn’t mind administering the treatment one bit.  Zack caressed his companion’s skin with slow, easy motions, moving his hand lower and lower over the taut abdomen until he felt the waistline of Reno’s track pants against his palm.  He slipped his hand under it, brushing his fingers over the crisp, fine hair framing his goal.  He felt the redhead shiver with the knowledge of what he was doing but Reno didn’t protest or try to stop him.

 

Zack’s hand curled around the Turk’s soft prick and he began to fondle it gently, appreciating the satiny feel of it.  Reno sighed and began to relax against him as his patient massage awakened his cock.  Zack eased his other arm out from under Reno’s head and propped himself up on his elbow, lowering his mouth to the other man’s shoulder to brush his lips over the soft, pale skin.  He pressed light, lingering kisses over the top of Reno’s shoulder, his mouth moving along leisurely to his neck. 

 

Reno closed his eyes and parted his lips, reaching up with one hand to comb his fingers through Zack’s dark hair.  Soldier-boy was too damned good at this sort of thing and the sounds of the night were already becoming less intimidating as Zack’s talented hands and lips stroked and caressed him.  The strong teeth grazed Reno’s earlobe, tapping against the hoop piercing it before the lips closed over it and tugged softly.  Reno tilted his head, arching into the seductive nibbling greedily.  He had a full erection now and he shivered with pleasure as Zack’s thumb brushed back and forth over the tip, coaxing a little bead of precum to emerge.  Reno bit his lip to control a moan as the pad of Zack’s thumb rubbed the bit of fluid over his glans. 

 

“I don’t think you’ll wake our Sunshine up if you make a little noise,” Zack assured him when he heard the restrained sound.  He traced the shell of Reno’s ear with his tongue and nibbled the lobe again, pressing his hips more firmly against the Turk’s tight little ass.  “Mmm, you feel good, Reno.”  He was hard already and he rubbed himself against the alluring backside.

 

Reno shifted restlessly against Zack, rocking his hips in time with the other man’s skilled strokes.  His breathing became more obviously labored as the pleasure grew.  “Zack,” he sighed in such a tone of longing and appreciation that he gave himself pause.

 

_~Oh…shit.~_

Zack also paused and he released Reno’s earlobe from between his lips to smile in the darkness.  “You’ve never said my name like _that_ before, Foxy.”  His murmur was a husky caress against the Turk’s ear.  “I’ve heard you say Cloud’s name that way but this is a first for me.  Maybe I’m not the only one of us feeling this after all, eh?”

 

Reno was about to whisper an excuse but Zack’s final sentence scrambled his thoughts.  Did Fair just admit he loved him?  He struggled for words, caught between the pleasure of Zack’s steady fondling and the confusion of whispered endearments.  Had they really gone from crushing over one another to outright love? 

 

“Take your time, Reno,” Zack whispered.  He kissed him on the jaw and then on the neck.  “I can wait.”

 

Reno was distantly annoyed that his hesitation had made his confusion so obvious to the other man, but what Zack was doing to him felt too good for him to concentrate on a coherent response. 

 

“Roll onto your back,” suggested Zack in that caressing voice.  His teeth flashed white in a thin beam of moonlight that made it in from the netted window as Reno looked up at him questioningly.  “You’re being pretty quiet and docile,” the dark-haired man commented as he scooted away a little to give him room.  “Did I get you flustered?”

 

“Just enjoying the attention, Wolfy.”  Reno was proud of how steady his voice sounded.  He rolled onto his back and looked up at Zack’s shadowed face, wondering what he planned to do next.  When Zack pulled his track pants down to fully expose him and began to lower his head over his stiffened cock, Reno sucked in a sharp breath of anticipation.

 

“Don’t worry,” Zack whispered as he held Reno’s erection and brought his lips close to the tip.  “I’m not going to return the favor of what you did to me the other night…at least, not this time.”  His goal was to get Reno relaxed and _that_ particular technique wasn’t appropriate for the intention.

 

Reno didn’t understand what he meant at first, because he wasn’t yet aware that Cloud learned his oral skills from Zack in the first place.  His first thought was that Zack meant he wasn’t going to suck him off after all, but when the fighter’s lips slid over the head of his cock he was forced to re-evaluate his impression.  His eyes fluttered shut and he took a shaken breath, his fingers combing through Zack’s thick hair as the other man’s mouth took him deeper and deeper. 

 

_~I don’t get it…he said he wasn’t gonna do what I did to him the other night but it sure as hell feels like he’s sucking my cock into his mouth!~_

Zack forgot himself for a moment and fell into habit, pulling back and nibbling gently against the salty hole in the tip of Reno’s cock.  The redhead jerked and gasped, reminding Zack that his plans were to give him a nice, standard blowjob without resorting to the tantric stuff.  He mumbled an apology around the stiffened flesh in his mouth and he changed his tactics, dropping his mouth down and relaxing his throat.

Now Reno understood what Zack had meant by his statement and he panted softly, his eyes a bit wide with confusion.  “Didn’t know you knew how to do that shit too, Wolfy,” he announced breathlessly.  His sentence ended in a moan of gratification as the warm, moist suction slid down his cock and back up again.  “Did Cloud teach you?”

Zack chuckled in his throat and allowed Reno’s erection to slide out of his mouth.  “Nope.  Other way around.”  He started to resume again but Reno interrupted.

 

“How?  He did it to me for the first time before you came back and he swore up and down you two were never anything but friends back in the day.”

 

“He was telling the truth,” explained Zack softly.  “Did he tell you how he inherited some of my memories, though?”

 

“So you’re telling me Blondie knew how to give head like that ‘cause he got it from you?”  Reno distinctly remembered the conversation they’d had in the helicopter afterwards and how Cloud couldn’t remember where he’d learned it.  The mystery now made sense.

 

“Unless he got his hands on the same book I did and didn’t remember reading it, yeah,” Zack confirmed.  He smiled.  “Can _you_ imagine Cloud thumbing through a tantric sex book and practicing on a dildo?”

 

Reno snickered softly.  “Hell no.”

 

“Now, where was I?” Zack mused with a grin.  He lowered his mouth to the Turk’s waiting cock and sucked it slowly into his mouth again, working his tongue over the ridges and the big vein underneath.  He heard Reno draw another shaken breath and felt the fingers in his hair tightening and he paused, reaching up to gently grasp the other man’s wrist in warning.  The grip on his hair eased and Zack started moving again, sucking firmly as he worked the hard flesh in and out of his mouth.

 

Reno tilted his head back and gasped encouragingly.  Even without using the special technique, Zack was so good with his mouth it was shocking.  Like Rude, Zack gave Reno the impression that he would be better at fucking than sucking and just like Rude had done years ago, Zack was now demonstrating that he excelled at both.  Reno began to slowly fuck the other man’s mouth, whimpering softly with growing pleasure as the experienced lips and tongue slid up and down his length.  He consciously tried to keep his fingers from curling into the soft, mussed hair they were buried in and he started to pant heavily with the effort to keep his moans quiet.

 

Zack released the organ from his mouth and licked it all over with his tongue, giving Reno a breather before sealing his lips around it again.  He relaxed his throat and started sucking him harder, taking the length all the way in with each bob of his head.  He felt Reno’s slim body tensing and he stroked his thighs, increasing the speed of his motions.  The cries of pleasure that the Turk was so obviously trying to hold back broke free and grew rougher and louder as Zack worked.  He felt the long fingers pull out of his hair to grasp his shoulders hard and he knew his lover was getting very close.

 

“Zack,” groaned Reno, “d-damn…so good…I’m about to come, baby.  Oh yeah…oh…”

 

Zack gave a low growl, his throat vibrating around the tensing cock as he took it in.  Reno’s hips pushed upwards and Zack swallowed just in time as the thick spurts hit the back of his throat.  He kept swallowing until they ended and he stroked Reno’s hips and outer thighs.  When the Turk was spent and panting, he took his mouth away and stretched out on top of him.  With one leg resting between Reno’s thighs, he nuzzled his neck and murmured to him.

 

“Think you can sleep now, Cinnamon buns?”  The nickname seemed more appropriate now than ever, because Zack detected a faint, spicy aftertaste in the back of his mouth.  It must have been the cloves that Reno smoked and the gum he chewed that gave his seed that subtle hint.  Whatever it was, it had taken the edge off the salty flavor and Zack found it to his liking.

 

“Like a baby,” Reno agreed breathlessly, running his hands over Zack’s chest.  “I wanna take care of you first, though.”  He started to reach for the bulge between Zack’s thighs but the other man rolled off of him and shook his head.

 

“Mine can wait ‘till later,” assured Zack softly.  He pulled Reno’s pants back up and pressed close to him again, putting an arm around his waist.  “I didn’t do that so you’d do it back, Foxy.”

 

Reno wasn’t sure what to do.  He was used to give-and-take encounters, not just getting his orgasm and leaving the other guy unsatisfied.  “You sure about that?”

 

“I’m sure,” Zack murmured.  He chuckled when he heard another soft snore from Cloud on Reno’s other side.  “Besides, we might actually wake Cloud up if we don’t call it a night and he needs to keep sleeping it off.”

 

Reno marveled at Zack’s considerate nature even as his heavy eyelids closed and he started to fall into a deep, easy sleep.

 

~******************************************~

* * *

 

The morning came with consequences…for Cloud.  Even Reno woke up before he did and the Turk quietly got dressed, put on his jacket and crawled out of the tent to join Zack in the middle of the camp.  The sable-haired fighter greeted Reno with a cheerful smile and stirred a little pot he had suspended over the low fire.  Reno sniffed appreciatively, detecting the scent of oats, fruits and nuts. 

 

“What’cha got cooking there, Feathers?”

 

Zack smirked at the newest nickname.  He guessed it wouldn’t take long for he and Reno to have a list of pet names as long as the one he had for Cloud.  “I crushed up some of the breakfast bars we brought with us and mixed in some water and wild berries I found while you were still crashed.  I’m not a chef but I think I’ve put together a pretty decent oatmeal for breakfast.”

 

“You used wild berries?” Reno frowned.  “Aren’t they poisonous or something?”

 

“Some of them,” Zack conceded.  “Not the ones I used, though.  The mushrooms from last night didn’t make you sick and you like blackberries, don’t you?”

 

Reno hadn’t actually had blackberries for a long time, but he remembered them tasting pretty good, so he nodded.  “You must have woken up pretty early again, to sneak out and go berry picking before I even woke up.”  He checked his watch and shook his head, smirking.  “Don’t know how you and Cloud do it, man.”

 

Zack shrugged and peered into the pot he was stirring to check on the food.  “Some people get the knack for it and some don’t.  I used to know a lot of guys in SOLDIER and the army that always ended up having to do pushups for getting out of bed too late.  I was already used to it and so was Cloud, so it was easy for us.”

 

“Don’t you even _try_ to sleep in once in a while, though?” asked Reno.  He circled around the fire and sat down on the picnic blanket next to Zack.

 

“Sure I do,” answered the other man.  “But most of the time it’s a bust.  I’ve got my internal clock set and sometimes even if I stay up after midnight, I’m still waking up at dawn.  Hangovers and illness make me sleep in like Cloudy’s doing now.” 

 

He grabbed the rag that was hanging out one of his pockets and used it as a potholder, lifting the pot off of the fire and setting it on one corner of the blanket.  “Can you do me a favor and grab us some bowls and spoons out of that smaller bag over there?” Zack said with a nod at the duffle bag containing the cooking gear.

 

Reno obliged and came back with the requested items, setting the bowls in a line next to the pot of oatmeal.  He was about to squat down and ladle the oatmeal into the bowls for the three of them when a moan from within the tent caught his attention.  Reno and Zack looked up as the tent door was unzipped and Cloud climbed out, clutching his head and stumbling.  The blonde opened his eyes to peer at them and he groaned again and immediately shut them.

 

“Zack,” Cloud said thickly, “are you sure those mushrooms you used in the stew last night were okay?”

 

Reno and Zack looked at each other, their sympathy for Cloud laced with amusement.  “He really doesn’t have a clue, does he?” commented the redhead.

 

“About what?” the blonde demanded crossly, shielding his eyes with a hand.

 

“It wasn’t what you ate, Chocobo head,” Zack explained.  “It was the tequila.  You suffered just like this the night after we all went to that club and you had a few tequila drinks then, too.  Nobody tried to poison you and I didn’t add bad mushrooms to the food last night.”

 

“Doesn’t make sense,” grumbled Cloud.  “I hardly ever get hangovers when I drink the usual stuff…why would tequila be any different?  Ohhh…” He rubbed his head again and shut his eyes.  “Had to be the mushrooms,” he finished stubbornly.

 

“Then why ain’t Wolfy and I moaning and groaning with you?” asked Reno with a sly look.  “I’m telling ya Blondie, most people have a demon alcohol and tequila’s yours.  Zack left a bottle of aspirin and some water inside by the door.  Why don’t you go back in and swallow a couple?”

 

Cloud wordlessly turned around and unzipped the tent to get into it again.  He still wasn’t sure they were right about the tequila but his head was throbbing too bad to ignore the aspirin suggestion.  He heard the two of them talking quietly and he envied their lack of suffering.  He found the bottle and washed a couple of tablets down with the bottled water before steeling himself and going back outside.  He winced in the morning sunlight and Reno got up and walked over to him.

 

“Here babe,” the Turk offered as he pulled his goggles out of his jacket pocket and handed them to Cloud.  “Put these on.”

 

Cloud took the offering and fit the shaded goggles over his head, sighing with relief as the glare from the sun was muted.  “Thanks.”

 

“Come over here and have some breakfast,” Zack invited. 

 

Cloud’s mouth twisted at the mention of food.  “I don’t know if I should eat right now.”

 

“I made us some oatmeal out of the breakfast bars we brought,” Zack said, “it’s nice and light…shouldn’t be too hard on your stomach.  Come on, Sunshine—you shouldn’t take aspirin on an empty stomach anyhow.  Just eat a few bites, that’s all I’m asking.”

 

Cloud blew a sigh as Reno put an arm around his waist and urged him toward the campfire.  “If I hurl, I’m going to make sure I aim for your lap,” Cloud warned Zack as he lowered himself onto the blanket beside him and took the bowl he was holding out to him.

 

Zack chuckled, unperturbed.  “I can dodge.  Eat your food.”

 

“Nursemaid,” grumbled the blonde as he spooned some up and blew on it to cool it.

 

~*************************************~

* * *

 

Cloud was feeling a little better after breakfast but his head still felt cottony and his stomach hadn’t quite settled.

 

“I’m guessing you aren’t up for some fishing,” presumed the black-haired fighter with an appraising look at Cloud’s pale face.  “I want to try and catch some river trout for lunch and maybe do a little hunting for dinner.”

 

“I don’t think I’m ready to do much yet,” Cloud said.  “Maybe some hunting later but I might just take a little nap for now.  You two go without me.”

 

“Me?” repeated Reno with furrowed brows.  “Go fishing?  Hey, I’m happy to help chop it up and cook it but I’ve got a better chance of accidentally hooking Zack than any fish, yo.”

 

“We’re not using poles,” Zack said with a grin.

 

“Yeah?” Reno looked him up and down.  “You think you can just catch ‘em barehanded?”

 

“Maybe,” Zack said thoughtfully.  “I’ve never tried but it could be fun.  I’m talking about spear fishing.”

 

The Turk stared at him for a moment, then looked at Cloud.  “I can’t tell if this joker’s serious or not.  Help me out here, Blondie.”

 

“He’s serious,” Cloud informed.  “We brought spears instead of poles because we didn’t want the hassle of a tackle box or bait.”

 

“Where?” Reno said, looking around with a frown.  “I didn’t see any damn spears!”

 

Zack got up and went to a rolled-up bundle he’d left leaning against a tree.  “They’re right here, Foxy.  They’re collapsible for easy carrying.  All we’ve got to do is screw them together when we reach the river.”  He picked the bundle up and slung it easily over his shoulder.  It was only about two feet long and half a foot thick and Reno saw a glint of metal under the top flap as Zack turned to come back to the fire.

 

“I was pretty sure we’d get a big fat ‘no’ from you if we tried to get you to put a worm on a hook, too.”  Zack winked at the Turk.

 

“You guessed right,” Reno admitted.  The prospect of spear fishing sounded more interesting to him than swinging a pole and hoping something bit.  “So you think I can do this, huh?”

 

“I’ll bet you’d be good at it, with your agility,” Zack said with a nod.  “Why don’t you give it a try?  If you don’t like it, you can sit back and let me do all the fishing.”

 

Reno watched him suspiciously for a moment before getting to his feet.  “Guess I could use a little exercise.  What the hell, I’ll give it a shot.”  He thought spearing fish would be easier for him to do than shooting furry animals.  “What do ya need me to carry?”

 

~*********************************~

* * *

 

As Zack suspected, Reno got the hang of spear fishing with impressive speed.  The Turk complained a little when Zack told him to take his shoes and socks off and roll his jeans up to the top of his calves, but seeing that it was the only way to wade through the water without getting his clothes wet the Turk reluctantly did as advised.  Zack did the same and the two of them walked into the shallows by the bank.

 

“Don’t let the water fool you,” Zack told him.  “It can trick your perception.  You sort of have to aim at where you think the fish is _going_ to be, not where it looks like it is.”

 

“Doesn’t sound much different from shooting moving targets,” Reno shrugged.

 

Zack met with success after roughly twenty minutes.  It was a nice catch, big enough to provide a good meal for someone.  Reno saluted him and continued trying for his own.  They were at it for almost another hour before Zack caught a second fish and Reno almost slipped and fell into the river once, but the redhead was so absorbed in what he was doing it hardly bothered him.  Finally, Reno shouted with surprised satisfaction as he stabbed into the water and succeeded in hitting his target.

 

“Holy shit, I got one,” the Turk muttered as he lifted his wriggling prize out of the water. 

 

“Knew you could do it, Red,” Zack smiled as he waded over to him to help him get the fish off of his spear.  “Wow, it’s a big one, too!  Way to go!”

 

Reno had to admit, it gave him a rush to finally get one.  “So I guess I’m not as worthless out here as I thought.”

 

“I guess not,” Zack agreed with a wink.  “We’ve got three now, so unless you want to try to catch a few more for later we can head back to camp.”

 

Reno checked his watch.  He wouldn’t mind doing it for a little longer but noon was approaching and they still had to scale, clean and de-bone the fish for lunch.  “Nah, let’s head back.”

 

“We can do some more tomorrow if you want,” Zack offered, happy that he’d finally found something Reno seemed to like doing in the wilderness.  “We’ll have the whole day before we need to head back.”  He waded out of the water to their shoes near the rocks, shoving his spear into the ground and hanging the string of fish over it as he reached for his boots.  He caught a glimpse of something dark and sinuous coiled near them and he drew back as a fanged white mouth opened and hissed threateningly at him.

 

Zack started to back off and warn Reno away, preferring to leave the moccasin alone and see if it would retreat.  He heard the Turk swear behind him and two shots suddenly rang out.  Pebbles sprayed as the bullets hit the snake and separated its head and tail from its body.  Zack turned to see Reno standing there, still pointing his gun at the dead snake.  The redhead was pale and his mouth was pressed into a grim line.

 

“Poisonous?” asked Reno tensely.

 

“Yeah,” Zack said.  He opened his mouth and started to tell Reno that the moccasin might have backed off if he’d moved away from it but the expression on the Turk’s face made the words freeze on his tongue.  It couldn’t be clearer if Reno had it written on his ashen forehead: he’d been afraid for Zack…probably moreso than he could have expected. 

 

Reno swallowed and clicked the safety back on before replacing his firearm back in the holster at his hip.  When he saw the snake bare its fangs at Zack, all he could think of was how far they were from help and how unlikely it would be for he and Cloud to get the black-haired man to a doctor before he died, if the snake was one of the more deadly venomous ones. 

 

“All right,” breathed Reno, using his spear to balance himself as his knees threatened to give out from the rush of relief coursing through him.  “I’ll admit it now, Wolfy.  I feel the same as you.”

 

Zack didn’t have the heart after hearing those words to tell Reno that the snake probably hadn’t wanted anything to do with him and killing it was likely un-necessary.  The Turk couldn’t have known that and if the snake had intended to bite Zack, his quick reaction probably saved his life.  The former Soldier smiled, exuberant with the knowledge that Reno loved him, even if it took a threat to his life to make him admit it.

 

“You saying you love me, Foxy?” Zack murmured, slowly walking toward him.

 

An uncommon flush rose in the pale cheeks, making the faint smatter of freckles over them more visible.  “My heart doesn’t stop like that when someone I _don’t_ love has a close call.  You can quit gloating, Fair.”

 

Zack flashed a white smile at him and closed the distance, putting his hands on the redhead’s tense shoulders.  “Know what?  I love you too.  Now give me a smooch.”

 

Their mouths met and Reno’s tension eased as they kissed.  When they broke away from each other, they walked over to their shoes and Reno grimaced at the dead moccasin.  It was in three pieces and the middle part was still twitching.

 

“Ugh, guess I overdid it a little.”  Reno stepped around the carcass and took his balled-up socks out of his shoes, shaking his left foot out before sliding one of the socks over it.

 

“Well, you killed it,” Zack said as he started putting his shoes and socks on as well.  “You get to eat it.”

 

Reno froze in the process of putting his second shoe on and he glanced over his shoulder at him.  “You want me to eat a poisonous snake?  Thought you said ya loved me, Zack.”

 

“The meat’s not poisonous,” answered the fighter with a grin.  “Tastes like chicken.”

 

Reno grimaced again and jammed his foot into his shoe.  “No fucking way man,” he said.  “I ain’t eating snake…I don’t care if the meat could make me live a hundred years and tastes like an orgasm.  Some things I just won’t do.”

 

Zack chuckled.  He’d expected no less but he couldn’t resist teasing him a bit.  It was unfortunate that the animal had been in the wrong place at the wrong time but it couldn’t be helped.  “Normally I don’t believe in letting a kill go to waste,” he said as he slipped his other boot on and laced it up.  “But I’m not going to try to make you eat it and I’ll admit, I don’t really know how to cook snake.  I’ve only eaten it once when I was a kid, after my Dad killed one that got into my bedroom.  I’d say we could skin it and have something made out of it but we’ve got no way to preserve it until we get home.” 

 

He straightened up and looked at the carcass thoughtfully.  “The good news is things don’t usually go to waste out here.  There’s always a hungry mouth somewhere nearby, so this guy’s probably going to end up as dinner to someone before nightfall.  Let’s get these spears disassembled and head back, Red.”

 

~**************************************~

* * *

 

When they returned to the camp, Cloud was looking much better.  The blonde had kept the fire going and he was sitting quietly by the tent, sharpening his sword.  He looked up as his lovers walked into the camp and his eyes scanned both of them briefly, as if doing a quick check for injuries.  The pallor had faded from his face and he had Reno’s goggles dangling around his neck. 

 

“How was it?” Cloud asked of Reno as he put his sharpening stone away and replaced his sword in the nearby scabbard.  He stood up as they approached.

 

“Not bad,” answered Reno.  “Liked it more than I thought I would.”

 

“He did great,” Zack praised the Turk enthusiastically. 

 

Reno shrugged.  “I only got one.”

 

“Yeah, but it was the biggest one,” countered Zack as he lifted the string of fish for Cloud’s inspection. 

 

“Most people don’t even catch a little one their first time out,” Cloud said with a subtle smile at Reno.  “That’s pretty impressive.”

 

The Turk grinned, unable to help himself.  “Ya think so, Blondie?  You’re gonna eat one, right?”

 

Cloud nodded.  “I think my stomach can handle it.  I might have to cover my nose while we’re cleaning them, though.”  He wrinkled his nose before he could stop himself.  The smell of raw  
fish guts wasn’t something he or his stomach was looking forward to.

 

Reno wasn’t particularly looking forward to it either but he didn’t want Cloud to get the pukes.  “No you won’t, ‘cause you’re not cleaning them.  Zack and I can do that.”

 

Both of his lovers gave him an openly surprised look.  Reno felt a moment of embarrassment.  “What?  I’ve cleaned fish before.  Shit, when we were living out in the boonies before Headquarters were rebuilt in Junon, I had to clean fish and animals all the time.  I never killed ‘em or caught ‘em myself but I learned how to get them ready for cooking.”

 

“When we were stuck in the cabin up north you didn’t offer to skin that deer I caught.” Cloud reminded him.

 

“You didn’t ask me to either,” shrugged the redhead.  “Never said I _enjoy_ doing it but you’re still queasy and you guys have been doing all the work around here.” 

 

The black-haired fighter gave Reno a brief, appreciative look and the Turk winked at him.  Cloud observed the exchange and he cocked his head to one side.  Something was different between his lovers and there was more to it than simple male bonding.  The only reason he could detect it was because the two of them looked at him that way all the time, but this was the first time he’d seen that flash of devotion in their eyes for each other. 

 

“Did something else happen?” he asked.

 

“Well yeah,” Reno admitted.  “Zack almost got bit by a snake.”

 

“Reno shot it,” added the other man.  “It gave us a good scare but nobody got hurt.”

 

“And people say _I’m_ a trouble magnet,” Cloud snorted.  He pretended to scratch his nose to hide his smile.  He guessed that the incident tore down the last of the barriers between the two of them.  Having some experience in the matter of emotional revelations brought on by sudden fear of loss, he chose to keep quiet about it and let them go at their own pace. 

 

~*********************************~

* * *

 

-To be continued

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

“Kumbaya”

Part Four

~***********************************************~

* * *

 

Cloud was feeling well enough after lunch to go hunting with Zack.  Reno declined their invitation to go with.  Some things he could get the hang of but shooting furry animals wasn’t one of them.  Neither of them said anything about it and he was grateful for it, embarrassed that they’d discovered his soft spot.

 

“Don’t worry though,” he assured them as they gathered their gear and started leaving camp, “I’m not gonna try to pet any critters that come sniffing around.”  He almost changed his mind right after saying the words, remembering the mother grizzly and her cub.  “Uh, if that bear happens to come along…”

 

“Try shooting in the air first,” suggested Zack.  “If that doesn’t scare her off, get in the truck and haul ass unless you can pull the trigger at her.”

 

“Gotcha,” Reno nodded.  He watched them go and he sighed.  There wasn’t shit to do out here by himself…except drink.  That wouldn’t be any fun without his companions either, so he contented himself with playing a little solitaire with the deck of cards he kept in his jacket.

 

Two hours later, he was bored of playing cards and his companions hadn’t returned yet.  He looked up at the sky and saw the darkening clouds coming in from the east.  “Great…I was hoping to get through this without rain,” he sighed.  He climbed into the tent and tried to think of something useful or at least interesting to do.  With a shrug, he fished out his cellphone and called up Rufus to chat with him for a while.

 

“Hey boss.  Yeah, I’m still alive.  Zack and Cloud went to go bag us something for dinner so I’m stuck here by myself.  Ya busy?  Hmm.”  Reno grinned.  “Feel like entertaining me a little?”  Nobody did phone sex like the president. 

 

~************************************~

* * *

 

“Should we clean these away from camp?” Cloud pondered aloud as he and Zack made their way back to the camp.  The meat from the rabbits and pheasants they’d caught should last until they left tomorrow.  If not, they could always do more fishing. 

 

“I guess that would be for the best,” Zack agreed.  “We don’t want the smell of blood around our camp and Reno might not want to see us do it.  I never would have thought Red was a softie for animals.”

 

Cloud nodded with agreement and they chose a spot to clean their kills before taking it back to camp for cooking.  Between the two of them it didn’t take long and soon they were on their way again.

 

~************************************~

* * *

 

“Hey Foxy, we’re back with dinner,” Zack hollered as he and Cloud walked into the camping area.  They both stopped and looked around.  Reno was nowhere to be seen.

 

“Maybe he’s…uh…” Cloud said awkwardly.

 

“Taking a dump?” Finished Zack with a smirk.  “Maybe.  At least he put the fire out before he went to do it.  Here, you take my critters and I’ll get the fire going again while you get them all on the spit, okay?”  He handed his string of skinned and plucked kills to his lover and walked to the center of camp, intending to put fresh wood on it and get it started again.

 

As he passed by the tent on his way to get more wood, Zack heard a familiar voice moan lasciviously.  He paused and listened, a grin pulling at his lips. 

 

_~Ah ha…sounds like Red’s giving himself a little pick-me-up.  No wonder he didn’t answer when I called.~_

Zack tiptoed to the tent and leaned in to listen more.  He heard a whimper, followed by another sexy moan.  Imagining what he’d find when he did it, he grabbed hold of the zippers and prepared to yank them down and surprise the Turk inside.  What he heard next made him freeze and caused his eyes to pop wide.

 

“Unh…Rufus…don’t stop, baby!  I want ya to fuck me senseless!”

 

Zack blinked in utter confusion but he didn’t stick around to hear the president’s response.  He lurched away from the tent with a half-panicked expression on his face, making his way across the camp to Cloud.  The blonde paused in his task of skewering the meat and he looked up at Zack with raised eyebrows.

 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking back in the direction Zack had come from suspiciously.  “Don’t tell me the bear really did come here!”  He started forward, his fear for Reno tossing his cooking plans out the window.

 

Zack grabbed him and stopped him, shaking his head.  His face was pale as he spoke to the slighter man.  “More like a cougar…I just heard Reno getting it on with Rufus in there!”

 

Cloud regarded him with an incredulous expression before shaking his head.  “No…that can’t be right.  Why would Rufus Shinra come all the way out here?  Just to hop in the sleeping bag and pound at Reno while we’re out hunting?  Doesn’t make sense.”

 

“Hey, I _know_ what I heard,” Zack hissed.  “I don’t know why but the man’s in there right now…go listen for yourself if you don’t believe me!”

 

Cloud understood Zack’s anxiety.  Zack had his own hang-ups concerning the president and the thought of Rufus somehow getting out here and slipping into the tent with Reno just for the hell of it was mind-blowing by itself.  Deciding Zack had to be mistaken, Cloud handed the meat over to the taller man and crept up to the tent carefully, listening for noises.  He heard a soft, muffled cry, followed by Reno panting the president’s name.  Cloud backed away again and shot a blue-eyed look of bewilderment at his lover.

 

“See?” Zack whispered harshly.  “Told you so!”

 

It was so bizarre and so illogical that Cloud could only stand there like an idiot with his mouth hanging open.  There was a rumble of thunder in the distance and it was just enough to drag him out of his daze.  “Okay, I don’t know why he’s here,” said the blonde as he went back to Zack’s side and took the meat from him, “but it’s going to rain before long and we have to get these cooked.  Just…try not to think about it and get the fire going, will you?”

 

Zack nodded and hurried away to gather more wood.  Cloud continued what he’d started, rubbing seasoning and tenderizer over the meat to prepare it.  Just as Zack returned with an armload of wood and started getting the fire going again, the tent opened and Reno stepped out, stretching languidly.

 

“Oh, you guys are back,” said the Turk in a lazy drone.  “Hey looks like you had a pretty good haul.  Guess I’ll come help ya get it cooked.”

 

Both of his companions were staring at him and he frowned.  Maybe they heard him whacking off?  But why would that make them both look so uncomfortable?  “What’s with you two?  Hey, if ya heard me in there you shouldn’t be surprised by now.  Ya know how I am.”

 

“Uh…is Rufus going to stick around and have dinner with us?” Zack asked uncomfortably, poking at the kindling as he lit it.

 

Reno looked at him quizzically.  “Did ya hit your head or something, Fair?  Rufus ain’t nowhere around!”

 

“Oh yeah?” Zack hissed, “then who was that I heard screwing your brains out in there?”

 

Reno ogled him for a moment before reaching into his jacket and producing his cellphone.  “Miracle of modern technology, country boy.  If I can get off without going solo I will, yo.”

 

“Phone sex?” Cloud muttered.

 

“Oh,” Zack said, his face heating with embarrassment.  “Yeah.”

 

Reno chuckled at the dark-haired fighter, thoroughly amused by his assumptions and reaction.  “Ya know, you’re just a little precious sometimes, Feathers.  So what had you all bothered about the thought…jealousy or envy?”  He gazed at Zack with sly, ginger-lashed eyes and put his phone away.

 

“I’m not jealous,” Zack insisted as he averted his gaze and concentrated on his job.  “I just got surprised when I thought he was in there.  It would have been mighty awkward.”

 

“There’s that drawl again,” Reno observed, still smirking at the other man.  “You crack me up sometimes, man.”

 

~*********************************~

* * *

 

They finished their dinner just before the sprinkle of rain turned into a shower.  Cloud wrapped the remaining meat up and put it in the smaller cooler they’d brought, hoisting it up with the pulley to keep it off the ground and stop animals from getting into it.  While he did that, Zack put the water bucket out and got the filter in place.

 

“I’m kind of glad we got this downpour,” the black-haired man said as he and his companions retreated to the tent.  “Otherwise I’d have had to fly to the stream or lake for more water.”

 

“They aren’t as clean as they used to be,” agreed Cloud.  Not only that, but small fissures in the bed could allow for Mako leaks.  So far he hadn’t seen evidence of Mako pollution in this area but that didn’t mean small traces of it couldn’t get into the natural water supplies.

 

“So rain water’s cleaner?” asked Reno.  He looked out the screen and watched the downpour.  The water struck the tent with surprising ruckus, forcing them to raise their voices as they spoke.

 

“Depends where you get it from,” Cloud said with a shrug.  He unscrewed the lid of one of their remaining bottles of water and got a bowl out of his bag to brush his teeth.

 

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to drink rain water from Junon or Edge,” Zack agreed with a grimace.

 

“The pollution ain’t _that_ bad anymore,” argued Reno.

 

“Maybe not but I still wouldn’t recommend it,” countered Zack with a grin. 

 

Cloud finished brushing his teeth and passed the bowl and bottled water around for his companions to do the same.  Reno slopped a bit in the process, unused to using a bowl to expectorate.  With he was finished he handed the bowl to Zack and waggled his eyebrows at Cloud.  “Why don’t you come here, Blondie?  I didn’t get to mack on you last night ‘cause you were out cold.”

 

Cloud mumbled something and scooted closer.  Having long ago grown used to Cloud and Rude’s tricky fuses, Reno put an arm around the blonde’s shoulders and contented himself with the small stuff, first.  He nuzzled the fighter’s pale hair and teased his earlobe with his teeth and tongue.  Zack watched covertly, smiling around the toothbrush as Reno worked his magic on their lover.  Reno started flicking open the buttons on Cloud’s flannel shirt with smooth, deft motions while his mouth did things to the blonde’s sensitive ear that made his eyes flutter shut.

 

“Mmm, the woods really _do_ make you unwind,” Reno purred as he pulled Cloud’s shirt open and caressed his chest.  He stroked a nipple to hardness and Cloud turned his head and caught his mouth with his, kissing him demandingly.  Usually it had to be spontaneous with the blonde or there was more coaxing involved.  Telling him out loud that he wanted to sex him up generally just made him embarrassed. 

 

Zack finished cleaning his teeth and he crawled to the tent opening to dispose of the paste water.  When he ducked back in, he shook a few drops of rainwater out of his hair and closed in on his lovers, enjoying the sight of Cloud’s chest rising and falling faster.  Rather than say anything aloud and risk spoiling the momentum Reno had going, Zack leaned in silently and started kissing Cloud’s neck.  Sandwiched between the two of them, Cloud wondered vaguely if they had planned this or if the two of them just fell into it naturally.  Given the sex drives of his lovers, it could have been either but he didn’t know when they might have found time to formulate this plan without him noticing it.

 

Someone’s hand started working at the fastenings of his pants and Cloud started to mumble against Reno’s lips, but the Turk refused to break the kiss and the blonde’s position was too compromised to do much about it. 

 

“Hey Red,” Zack whispered huskily.  “I haven’t seen you top our Sunshine yet.”

 

“Have to fix that, don’t we?” answered Reno with a silken chuckle.

 

Cloud hadn’t been expecting that and he was embarrassingly intrigued.  He and Reno had taken turns bottoming for Zack and Reno had done it for both of them on the first night there, but the Turk had never topped him in front of Zack before.  Reno nuzzled his cheek and paused to look into his eyes, his expression sensual and questioning at once.

 

“How about it, Cloud?”  He stroked the other nipple to a peak and watched as the blonde’s lips parted to emit a little gasp.  Zack got his pants open and exposed his erection, giving it a slow pull while he waited to hear the answer too.

 

Cloud probably couldn’t have spoken coherently even if he tried.  He was so turned on he knew that he’d lose control and jump one or both of them soon if something didn’t happen.  He nodded wordlessly and captured Reno’s mouth again, thrusting his tongue in with needy approval.  Reno groaned and eased him onto his back, while Zack tugged his pants down and pulled them off. 

 

 _~How did I end up in nothing but an open shirt?~_ Cloud pondered how quickly his lovers had gotten him in this state of undress.  Both of them were still fully clothed, but as Reno resumed kissing him Zack began to relieve the Turk of his garments, too.  When he finished undressing Reno, he lit the overhead lantern so that he could see everything in the failing light.

 

“Do we have to have the light?” questioned Cloud as his bashfulness chose the moment to come flooding back.

 

Zack and Reno grinned at each other and the former reached out to free Reno’s hair from his ponytail.  “Oh yeah,” Zack insisted.  “I want to see every minute of this.”

 

“Why don’t you roll onto your side for me, baby?” Reno suggested, his hands gliding down Cloud’s chest and stomach.  “I know you like spooning.” 

 

Cloud bit his lip and took the suggestion, feeling an interesting combination of lust and shyness.  Reno’s warm, lean body pressed against him from behind and Zack got the lube out and handed it over to the Turk.  The sable-haired fighter’s first instinct was to lie down beside Cloud but he had a better idea.  He climbed over his lovers and eased himself down on the sleeping bag behind Reno, caressing the Turk’s naked backside with his fingertips while Reno started preparing Cloud. 

 

“You gonna fuck me while I fuck him, Wolfy?” Reno asked in a low, husky whisper as he turned his head and kissed Zack.  He whispered it directly into the bigger man’s ear, trying to keep Cloud from hearing.  He curled his fingers around the blonde’s stiffened cock and stroked it slowly to keep him distracted.

 

Zack smiled against his lips and nodded.  He began removing his clothes while Reno eased a finger into Cloud’s backside and began to pump carefully.  Cloud’s shuddering gasp indicated that the deeper flush on his cheeks was no longer due to embarrassment and the Turk kissed his ear and kept going. 

 

Zack waited to start working on Reno, not wanting to distract from his preparation of their lover.  He glided his fingers over the crease where the redhead’s buttocks met his thighs, drawing a sigh of pleasure from him.  He watched Reno’s middle finger disappear into Cloud’s body with the first and he smiled as the blonde bit his lip and pressed back against them.  Cloud’s pink-capped erection was starting to dribble with precum as Reno stroked him off and stimulated him inside.

 

When Cloud started to instinctively push back against Reno’s fingers, Zack knew he was almost ready.  The black-haired man grabbed the lube and got to work on Reno, nibbling his neck as he pressed his slick finger against his hole, rubbing to make it relax for him.  When the resistance gave and he pushed inside, Reno shuddered and rocked backwards against him.  He didn’t break his rhythm despite the pleasure and he kept working Cloud’s body to receive him.  More accustomed to and experienced with bottoming, Reno didn’t require as much preparation as Cloud.  He knew how to relax his insides for his partners and he was ready enough for Zack by the time he was satisfied that Cloud was relaxed.

 

“Good to go, Zack,” Reno murmured to the former Soldier, afraid that he’d come too soon if he made Zack wait until he’d already started.

 

“You sure?” Zack whispered back, a flash of concern crossing his features.

 

“What are you two talking about?” Cloud gasped, his arousal briefly over-ridden by suspicion.  He gasped immediately afterwards as Reno withdrew his fingers, positioned himself and sank slowly into his body.  “Oh…ah…” The feel of being penetrated by the Turk’s cock affectively put an end to his questions.

 

Zack lined himself up and just as carefully pushed the head of his arousal against Reno’s hole, butting against it until it gave.  The Turk’s body gave another of those delightful shudders and he moaned.  Zack reached his arm around to embrace both his lovers as well as he could and he kissed Reno’s neck and withdrew a little before pushing further in.  Guided by his motions, the redhead did the same and Cloud’s shaken gasp made them both smile.

 

It began to dawn on Cloud that Zack was doing Reno while Reno was doing him.  He was briefly annoyed at them for trying to sneak it up on him instead of just being honest, but he had to admit he could be kind of a prude about things like this. 

 

“I wouldn’t have minded,” he panted, his eyes rolling with pleasure as Reno’s cock pumped with slow, gentle motions inside of him.  “Should have just asked.”

 

“Sorry baby,” Reno gasped.  “Just didn’t want to freak you out.”  Zack’s thick length pushed against his prostate and the redhead clenched his teeth as it made him twitch inside the blonde.  “Fuck, Wolfy…ya got the angle…oh _shit_ …”

 

“Good?” queried Zack.  His breath tickled Reno’s skin as his lips skimmed over his shoulder. 

 

“Hell yeah,” agreed the Turk.  The sensation of being inside of someone while being fucked himself was amazing and he was mentally kicking himself for not trying it before now.  Granted, the only man he’d ever topped before besides Cloud was Tseng but he couldn’t imagine the Wutaian protesting to something like this if he’d ever bothered to ask.  When Zack was seated completely inside of him, he moaned heavily and bucked into Cloud a bit harder than he intended.

 

“Unh!” Cloud grunted, panting softly as the redhead’s dick rudely butted against his tender gland. 

 

“Sorry,” apologized Reno again, reminding himself to take it slower.  Cloud could get into a hard fuck but there had to be some build-up first.  As for himself, he wanted that big cock inside of him to be a little more forceful and he said as much to Zack in his next panting comment.

 

It was a little clumsy at first but Zack gamely thrust harder and pulled his arm closer to brace Reno’s hip with his hand, so that he wouldn’t accidentally force the Turk to ram into Cloud.  Reno consciously focused on the rolling motions of his own hips, groaning into Cloud’s hair as he took him slow and gentle.  Cloud whimpered softly and turned his head for a kiss, placing one hand over the one that Reno was stroking him off with. 

 

“Better?” Reno panted against his mouth. 

 

Cloud nodded and sucked on the Turk’s tongue as it slid between his lips.  He heard Zack’s soft grunts and exclamations of pleasure and he wished he could reach far enough back to caress the black-haired man.  Zack moaned Reno’s name and then his and Cloud answered the moan, sympathizing with him completely.  The scent of both his lovers enveloped him, providing an interesting combination of cinnamon, cloves and sandalwood.  Cloud bit his lip on a cry as the sensations began to overwhelm him and he warned his companions that he was getting close.

 

“Thank fuck,” Reno panted with feeling.  He was on the verge of climax too and he could tell by the rhythm of Zack’s breathing that he wouldn’t be far behind.  He wanted Zack to have the full experience and he murmured breathlessly to encourage him.  “Hey Wolfy…let yourself go, okay?”

 

“Have to,” Zack growled, shoving hard and deep into the Turk.  Reno saw spots and he hollered a ragged exclamation as he started spurting because of the thrust.  Somehow, he kept his wits and continued stroking Cloud off, making him follow him into orgasm.  Zack kept going for a moment, his desperate little growls increasing in volume.  Reno felt it when he came and he smirked with pleasure as his warm seed filled him. 

 

Gasping and weak with pleasure, the three men lay against one another in the tent while they recovered.  When he found his breath, Zack spoke.  “We’ve _got_ to do that again sometime, guys.”

 

~*******************************~

* * *

 

Reno was woken up several times by booms of thunder and the storm lasted until morning.  When it cleared up, he finally got to sleep only to wake up an hour later, uncomfortably hot.  He heard Zack and Cloud talking with each other just outside the tent and he sat up and fumbled around for his clothes.  He dragged his jeans on but he didn’t bother with the shirt. 

 

“Now it feels like summer,” the redhead grumbled as he unzipped the tent and climbed out to join his companions.  He pulled his hair back and secured it in the elastic as he stumbled sleepily toward the fire.  Zack and Cloud were already there, making up a cold breakfast of oat bars and the remaining fruit they’d brought with them.

 

“Yeah, we got a warm front when the storm cleared,” Zack said.  He wore a muscle shirt and so did Cloud. 

 

“You might want to put a little repellent on,” suggested Cloud when Reno swatted at a hovering insect.  “Do you want coffee or is it too warm for you?”

 

“Gotta have the coffee,” Reno muttered.  He started to plop down but realized the area around the campfire was muddy.

 

“Here,” Zack said as he dragged the large cooler closer.  “Have a seat on this.”

 

Reno sank down gratefully on the surface of the cooler and ran his fingers through his hair.  “Day’s just gonna get hotter, too,” he complained.

 

“Probably,” Agreed Cloud with a nod as he poured some of the fresh water they’d collected into the kettle and positioned it over the fire.  “I might change into some shorts.”

 

“Hrm, that might make it worth it,” commented Reno with a brief leer at the blonde.  He slapped irritably at another insect that took a bite out of him.  “Where’s the damned repellant, again?”

 

“Here,” Zack rifled through a pack nearby and tossed a bottle his way.  Reno caught it and examined it curiously.  “It’s all natural stuff so you shouldn’t have to worry about a chemical smell.”

 

“I’ll take your word for it,” said the Turk dryly as he popped the cap and started pumping the spray over his arms, chest and pants.  “Get my back for me?”

 

Zack obliged and lifted Reno’s ponytail aside to spray some of the stuff on his back and shoulders.  “Better let me get that cute tushy too, Red.”

 

Reno stood up and allowed him to spray more on his backside and thighs.  “This shit better work,” he said as he took his seat again.  “Uh, sorry,” he mumbled a moment later, realizing he was being a dick again.

 

“If you weren’t cranky in the morning I’d think something was wrong,” replied Cloud with a smirk.  He dropped a coffee bag into the mug he’d prepared and poured some steaming water in.  Reno watched with bleary eyes as the blonde tore open a packet of sugar and dumped it into the mixture before dropping a spoon in and handing it over to him.

 

“Thanks, Blondie.”  His morning crankiness was somewhat absolved by his lovers’ courtesy toward him.  He dunked the coffee bag a few times before setting the mug aside to take the plate Zack handed to him.  Once again, they were doing it all while he sat back and complained.  Reno chuckled after swallowing a bite of apple and he shook his head.  “I must be a really good lay.”

 

“No arguments from this quarter,” Cloud agreed with a subtle smile at him.

 

“None from me either,” Zack chuckled.  “Why else would we put up with you, Foxy?”

 

Reno took the teasing in stride, knowing he’d set himself up for it.  He bit off some of the oat bar and chewed it with a grimace.  He liked the oatmeal Zack had concocted from the bars better than the raw stuff, but it was food and he’d had worse.  He took a sip of coffee to wash it down and admired his companions silently as he ate.  He wasn’t good at expressing appreciation but he knew he was lucky to have them.

 

~*************************************~

* * *

 

After breakfast, they went fishing again.  There were still some leftovers from dinner last night but Zack knew Reno had enjoyed fishing the day before and he wanted him to have the experience once more before they left the mountains.  Cloud was impressed by how well Reno handled himself with the spear fishing, especially when the redhead caught more than he and Zack. 

 

“Don’t worry about it going bad on you,” Zack said as they headed back to camp.  “The fish will keep until we head back to the farm and we’ll freeze it right away, so you can take some home with you.”

 

Reno had the perfect idea for his share of the fish and he didn’t argue against the offer.  They finished off the leftovers from the night before for lunch and then packed everything up, wrapping the fish and storing it in one of the coolers for the trip back.  The only complaint Reno had was that the insects seemed to be more attracted than repelled by the spray he’d used by the time afternoon came around.  His discomfort was somewhat salved by the sight of Cloud in his denim cut-off shorts and muscle shirt.

 

“Wait, I’ve gotta get a picture of this before we head back,” Reno said as he got his cellphone out and aimed it in Cloud’s direction.  “Bend over the hood of the truck, Blondie.”

 

Cloud’s eyes widened.  “What?  No!”

 

“Aww, come on,” encouraged the redhead.  “That shit you guys sprayed on me is like some kind of special sauce to these damned bugs and I’m covered in bites.  Make it up to me, hot stuff.”

 

A predictable blush covered Cloud’s cheeks.  “I’m changing out of these things,” he muttered.

 

“Not yet,” Zack insisted with a wink Reno’s way.  He caught the blonde around the waist and backed up against the truck, pulling him with him.  “Let’s just give him a little snapshot, Sunshine.”  He lowered his mouth to the blonde’s and muffled his protest with a kiss, leaning backwards over the hood of the truck and forcing Cloud to bend over him.

 

“Thanks, Wolfy,” snickered Reno as he zoomed in with the cellphone camera and took one shot of Cloud’s ass and another of the two of them kissing. 

 

“Assholes,” gasped the blonde when Zack released him.  The other man squeezed his bottom and grinned at him, unperturbed. 

 

~*************************************~

* * *

 

“I Guess we can make use of this if you don’t want it,” Zack said as he lifted the straw hat off the dash and studied it.  “It might look goofy but you’d be surprised how much good it can do when you’re working in the sun.”

 

Reno eyeballed the hat and bit his lip.  “Uh…I guess I don’t mind taking it with me,” he said.  Zack paused and looked at him with a sly smile, causing a rare blush to form on the Turk’s cheeks.  Reno scuffed the ground with his shoes and shrugged, putting his hands in his jeans pockets.  “It’s not so bad and I had a little fun.”

 

“So you want your souvenir after all?” Zack prompted, holding the hat out to him as the redhead leaned against his car. 

 

Reno snatched it and ignored the grin Cloud threw at him as the blonde opened the passenger side door and placed the wrapped fish inside on a plate.  “Yeah, I’ll hang it on my wall next to a certain pair of cuffs,” muttered the Turk.

 

“You don’t have to be in a big hurry to rush home,” Cloud said softly, lifting his eyes to regard Reno.

 

“I’ve gotta go back to work tomorrow,” answered the Turk in an equally reluctant tone.  “If I stay here overnight I know we’ll end up fooling around ‘till the break of dawn.”  He was eager to get back to a soft bed and a hot shower but he wasn’t the slightest bit eager to leave Cloud or Zack.

 

“We’ll have next weekend,” Zack said, trying to lighten the mood.  He handed the hat over to Reno and cupped the back of his head for a shameless kiss. 

 

Reno kissed him back just as shamelessly and as soon as the kiss ended, he ducked into the car and caught Cloud before he could pull away, pulling his head forward for an equally heated goodbye kiss. 

 

“Keep the fire warmed up for me ‘till I can come visit again, Blondie.” Reno murmured smugly against Cloud’s mouth. 

 

“I…I will,” answered Cloud dazedly.  He eased back and shut the passenger side door, watching by Zack’s side as Reno slid in and started the car.

 

“You know, I think we can break him down a lot sooner than we thought,” Zack muttered sidelong to the blonde as Reno backed out of the gravel driveway and onto the road.

 

Cloud smiled quietly.

 

~**************************************~

* * *

 

“What’s this?” Rufus asked as Reno handed something frozen and wrapped to him.  The redhead went straight to his office as soon as he was on the clock, bringing an unexpected and unknown gift with him.

 

“Trout,” said Reno.  “I caught most of ‘em myself, if you can believe it.”

 

Rufus raised a brow at him.  “Did you?  I seem to recall you swearing up and down that Rude would never get you out on that lake.  What tactic did Strife and Fair employ?”

 

“Spear fishing,” answered the Turk with a shrug.  “It wasn’t too bad…kind of liked it, actually.”

 

Rufus’s mouth twitched.  Yes, he could picture Reno spearing fish in a river, if nothing else.  “I trust the rest of the trip was tolerable?”

 

“Got chased by a bear,” said Reno, prompting another surprised look from the president.  “Zack saved my ass but it wasn’t something I’d want to do again.  Oh and get this….”  He started snickering.  “Do you remember that phone conversation we had yesterday?”

 

“Vividly,” answered Rufus with a smirk.

 

“Well, Zack caught the tail end of some of it when he came back from hunting,” Reno had to pause to catch his breath and his knees threatened to buckle.  “He thought…he thought you were in the tent with me, yo!”

 

Rufus set the frozen trout on the table and shook his head.  “How could I have…he honestly thought I was _in_ there?”

 

“Yup.”  Reno leaned on the president’s desk for support as his amusement overcame him.  “He got Blondie convinced you were in there too!  How do ya like that?”

 

Rufus covered a laugh behind a cough.  “What a delightful pair of idiots,” he said, imagining the confusion it must have caused.

 

“So what do you think about the fish, boss?”  Reno was still trying to control his laughter.

 

“I think it’s been too long since I last prepared fresh trout,” Rufus answered with a crooked smile.  “Perhaps tonight you, Tseng and Rude can come to my apartment after work and we can enjoy a barbeque.”

 

Reno was all too happy to take the invitation, pleased that the camping trip had not only given him more time with Cloud and Zack, but evidently it would give him more time with the others, as well.

 

~*****************************************~

* * *

-The End 

 

        


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